Who Needs A Heart?
by Black Crystal34
Summary: Axel gets more than he bargins for when he accedentally gets caught in the trap of an unusual Heartless called Allune. Can a Nobody and a Heartless really fall in love? Find out in this truly heartfelt adventure!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Music Of The Night**_

_**The mission room in the Grey Area of the castle was deserted, the lights were on as usual and outside the gaping windows the little stars of the ever present night twinkled peacefully. Saix walked into the room and looked around purposefully before standing beside one of the windows as if he was waiting for someone. After a while he looked back to the doorway where a rather groggy looking Axel strode in looking as though he'd just woken up.**_

"_**Don't exactly appreciate the wake up call Saix," he said rubbing his neck seeing Saix by the window.**_

"_**You're late," replied Saix seriously.**_

"_**I'll say, since when do you send me out on manoeuvres in the middle of the night? Guy's gotta sleep," said Axel a little annoyed at being woken up.**_

"_**You sleep too much as it is," Saix almost laughed turning to look at him.**_

"_**You can never sleep too much," smiled Axel light heartedly.**_

"_**Are you going to let me tell you about the mission, or are you just going to complain all night?" said Saix serious again.**_

"_**Go ahead, but don't be surprised if I don't just nod off over here," replied Axel lazing out on one of the sofas in the room. Saix sighed a little exasperated; he wouldn't even bother with Axel if Axel didn't have such a cold hearted flare for this kind of mission.**_

"_**I told you a while ago Xigbar was tracking the movements of a particularly powerful Heartless stalking Twilight Town right?" he began.**_

"_**What you mean he found it, what's the problem, can't Xigbar handle it," joked Axel.**_

"_**Well we discovered it only truly appears at night, Xigbar has tried numerous times to bring it under control in the day but he says it's like fighting a shadow," replied Saix stretching out his hand then making it look as though he is trying to grab his own shadow to make the point.**_

"_**Still wondering what this has to do with me," replied Axel reluctant.**_

"_**You know you're the best of us at moving around stealthily in dark places, I want you to go to Twilight Town and get rid of that thing once and for all, you know what Heartless are like when they get too strong, they could become a threat to us and our goal," explained Saix at last. Axel thought for a minute running his fingers through his orange and red hair before standing up.**_

"_**Go to Twilight Town, slay a Heartless, come back, I got it. I'm going to want some extra time to sleep after this you know," glared Axel ready to go. Saix nods agreeing before opening a Dark Corridor for him.**_

"_**Watch out Heartless here comes Axel!" cried Axel running into the darkness.**_

"_**He can be such a flake sometimes," sighed Saix leaving the room.**_

_**Axel soon arrived in Twilight Town, it was very dark here when night came, just a couple of lanterns to light the way.**_

"_**What a drag," he yawned looking around the square to see if he could find the powerful Heartless. Twilight Town was a big place with lots of little dark corners, a lot of places for a Heartless to hide.**_

"_**It's a good thing Heartless are stupid, might as well call them Brainless," he joked to himself continuing his search. He walked all over Twilight Town, even the underground subway catacombs under the town, but he came up with nothing.**_

"_**Ok, I'm bored now," he sighed sitting down, he reclined his head upwards looking at the starry sky before closing his eyes a bit.**_

"_**Ugh, I'm tired, I could just fall asleep here," he yawned sitting up a bit, "still, if I don't find that Heartless I just know Saix will keep sending me out till I do, oh I might never get to sleep again." Axel then forced himself to stand up again and keep looking, but he just got more and more frustrated.**_

"_**Damn you Xigbar," he growled under his breath coming up to the entrance of a dark dead end alleyway just off the main square.**_

_**Suddenly Axel heard something and hid in a dark corner in case someone was around. Looking around, the square was clear, but the sound was getting louder.**_

"_**Music? Why would someone be playing music at this time of night?" he wondered flicking his hair behind him and going back over to the entrance of that dark alleyway. The music was sweet and soothing, definitely coming from the alleyway, its soft sound and even tempo was almost irresistibly compelling, oddly alluring, curiously Axel ventured in further. The further he went in the louder the music was, he was getting close to the source, only something wasn't right.**_

"_**Why am I getting so tired," he thought still following the lovely music. He stood in the middle of the large area of the alleyway behind all the stores and looked around him feeling more and more sleepy.**_

"_**Come on Axel, you have a Heartless to kill here," he thought to himself summoning his chakram weapons to try and wake himself up a bit. Then he looked up to the metal railing around the high walls of the alleyway and thought he could see a humanoid outline against the bright moon. The music continued and Axel's chakrams disappeared, he just stood there zombie-like, like he was asleep with his eyes open. Finally the music stopped and the outline he'd seen moved and came down from the walls of the alley standing in the alleyway looking at the frozen Axel.**_

_**A woman with long lilac and violet hair appeared out of the gloom, her sharp steely eyes seemed to twinkle in the moonlight as she smiled looking at Axel. Her skin was pale and she wore a tight black garment, strapless the shiny material coated her upper body to her hips like it was painted on, but then as the garment reached her legs it seemed to almost go transparent and flowed like water as she moved. In fact her movements were indeed very fluid, it was almost like she had no internal skeleton at all despite her thin shapely figure and bony fingers on her hands. In one of her hands she held a beautiful crystal flute, it was blue and shimmered like water magically. On her chest her black garment was embellished with a dark heart shaped emblem some of which seemed to seep onto her pale skin. She came up to Axel warily, circling him with interest, still Axel didn't move.**_

"_**Hmm, he's a cute one tonight. What a nice looking human, good taste in clothes too," she said running her hands over his coat almost flirtively, she lifted her hand up a little to feel his hair and smiled a little.**_

"_**Too bad for you cutie, my spell is obviously getting more powerful, never had one as hot as you caught in my trap before. Pity, still, I bet you'll make just as handsome a Heartless for my collection," she half giggled to herself before moving herself right up to Axel's body.**_

"_**Hmm, you're a little taller than I thought," she says almost to herself floating in the air slightly until she's right in line with his face.**_

"_**Those are beautiful green eyes you have, shame, like little green gems, if only you could tell I was looking at you, I wonder what you'd say? Well, no point in asking you questions, you won't answer now anyway. Say goodbye to your heart honey," she smiled evilly moving forward and bringing her cold violet lips to his.**_

_**Suddenly Axel woke up startled and shoved her off him backing away rubbing his head confused.**_

"_**What the…" he said confused looking around.**_

"_**Hey what gives?" he hears the girl say and as he looks up he sees her standing up from the floor looking a little angry.**_

"_**What do you mean what gives? What the hell were you doing?" shouted Axel.**_

"_**The heart!" she suddenly cries looking around as if she'd lost something, "Where did it go, I haven't devoured it yet?" Axel watched her confused before she looked back over to him and realised he was still alive, he hadn't been turned into a Heartless.**_

"_**Hey, you're supposed to be a Heartless," she glared at him coming up to him again.**_

"_**Heartless? What are you whacked in the head? I'm not a Heartless," he replied before taking a closer look at her body.**_

"_**Hey cutie, my eyes are up here," she snapped at him, "what kind of human are you? I did everything right, like I've always done, but this time, no heart?" **_

"_**You're a Heartless," realised Axel.**_

"_**Duh, that was why I was trying to take your heart there, cough it up I haven't got all night," she glared jumping at him only for Axel to shove her off again.**_

"_**Sorry, I haven't got a heart," he glared at her as she stood up again.**_

"_**I don't understand, you answered my call? You were just like the others, well except you're much better looking then most of my other victims," she replied annoyed.**_

"_**Your call?" wondered Axel before seeing her flute, "That music? That was you?"**_

"_**Human's are so easy to make give up their hearts, they hear my call and come right up to me, no chasing, no physical activity, then I just rip their hearts right out of them," she smiled evilly, "no human yet has been able to resist my flute, not even you."**_

"_**Except I'm not human," glared Axel.**_

"_**That's not a surprise," she sneered bringing her flute to her mouth and blowing a few notes, suddenly all around her little shadow Heartless appeared.**_

"_**See, my flute calls Heartless to me too," she smiled evilly and suddenly all the Heartless ran at Axel to attack him. Axel engaged his chakrams quickly slicing through all of the Heartless without a problem.**_

"_**You must be the Heartless I was sent to kill," sneered Axel rushing her quickly and seeming to slice right through her. He turned back but she still stood there like nothing had happened.**_

"_**What the, did I miss?" he wondered but she only laughed.**_

"_**Was that supposed to hurt?" she laughed and Axel got angry, suddenly she was engulfed in fire and Axel tried to slice through her again.**_

_**Turning back he could see the flames still encasing her but then suddenly she just leapt into the air and escaped the fire.**_

"_**I almost felt that one," she sneered arrogantly.**_

"_**This is embarrassing," huffed Axel annoyed.**_

"_**Why would you be sent to kill me? You're a Heartless, I'm a Heartless," she looked at him confused.**_

"_**I'm not a Heartless I'm a Nobody, that's why you can't steal my heart Heartless, I don't have one," he told her hatefully.**_

"_**You, don't have a heart?" she seemed to gasp, "you poor thing."**_

"_**It's no big, but that's why I kill Heartless," he replied.**_

"_**Jealous much," she scoffed walking away a little.**_

"_**Don't be stupid, we do it to collect the hearts you Heartless devour," he snapped.**_

"_**Oh, so we are the same," she replied looking back.**_

"_**You're just a Heartless, a monster that steals human hearts, we are nothing like you," replied Axel.**_

"_**What would you call a being without a heart at all, I'd call that a monster," she huffed going to leave.**_

"_**Where are you going?" he asked.**_

"_**To go steal someone else's heart of course, there's no point hanging around you," she replied turning back to him.**_

_**She could see him looking her over interested, most of the time Heartless were little creatures, not very strong and they certainly didn't talk.**_

"_**What are you looking at?" she asked.**_

"_**You sure you're a Heartless, I've never seen a Heartless like you before," he said to her coming back over.**_

"_**Well, I've never met a Nobody, so I guess we're even. I'll show you how it works if you like," she offered.**_

"_**What do you mean?" he asked confused.**_

"_**How I collect hearts of course," she replied.**_

"_**No thanks, all the same I'd rather not get turned into a zombie again," chuckled Axel.**_

"_**Don't be such a stiff, besides, my spell only works once," she replied a little embarrassed.**_

"_**Once, you mean that little flute won't effect me again?" he asked.**_

"_**Let me show you how it works, I guess because I take their hearts immediately there's no reason for the spell to work on the same victim twice," she replied and Axel nodded agreeing. **_

"_**Good, I'm Allune," she told him flicking her hair.**_

"_**I'm Axel, got it memorised," he replied in his confident swagger.**_

_**Allune took Axel back into the square where they hid behind some crates, Allune watched for someone to pass by and finally saw a milkman making his rounds.**_

"_**He'll do I guess, after you this is a little disappointing," she sighed taking her flute to her lips. She started to play and Axel watched amazed as the milkman heard the sound almost immediately. He stood there for a few moments before turning and walking over to the crates, he seemed completely mesmerised by the music.**_

"_**Gee I hope I didn't look that dopey," thought Axel watching Allune coming out of their hiding place still playing. The milkman stopped just in front of her and Allune stopped playing, Axel watched as the man didn't move as Allune ran her hands over his body much like she'd done to Axel.**_

"_**Hmm, this one's strong," she smiled kissing the man on the lips like before. Her emblem started to spark and the man's skin turned black, as she let go the man's heart flew out of his body only for Allune to catch it and bring it into her body. The man fall to the floor and his body changed shape into the form of a little Shadow Heartless which then scampered away frightened.**_

"_**See, nothing to it," she said turning back to Axel as he came out of his hiding place.**_

"_**I guess not," he said a little amazed.**_

"_**Well, go on, show me how you collect hearts then?" she asked him and Axel looked a little surprised, he of course couldn't collect hearts, the Organisation hadn't quite figured that part out yet.**_

"_**Wait, so you were sent to kill me, and you wouldn't have been able to take all the hearts I have stored in my body? What kind of dunderhead plan is that?" she cried realising Axel's problem.**_

"_**Hey you Heartless are dangerous, if you get too powerful we wouldn't be able to take your hearts even if we did ever figure out how," he replied defensive.**_

"_**Only, you can't hurt me," she glared at him.**_

"_**Why would you say that, it's been fun Heartless but if I don't kill you I'm going to be stuck on this graveyard shift for the rest of my life, and I need sleep!" yelled Axel, Allune laughed then and walked away from him a little.**_

"_**Well Axel, this night's pretty much over and I don't do so well in the sun. So long cutie, I'm sure we'll meet again," she smiled flirtively at him disappearing.**_

"_**Oh great, how am I ever going to explain this to Saix? Hey Saix I had a great night, first I get entranced by a Heartless and then I lose it before I even have a chance to kill it. Nah, why tell him anything, I'll just say I didn't find it, I better get out of here, maybe I can catch some sleep after all," sighed Axel opening a Dark Corridor and disappearing back to the castle. Up on a rooftop Allune had watched him leave, her flute was glowing beside her and she smiled somewhat dreamily.**_

"_**Oh yes Axel, we'll meet again," she smiled disappearing as the sun began to rise.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_**The Deal**_

_**Axel was asleep in his room, he hadn't seen Saix when he'd returned so he'd decided to just go to bed, the only problem was he wasn't getting much sleep even now. He couldn't stop thinking about Allune and even when he did manage to sleep she seemed to be constantly in the forefront of his dreams. Finally he sat up on the side of the bed tired of trying anymore.**_

"_**I'm never going to sleep at this rate," he sighed a little annoyed.**_

"_**So how did it go?" asked Saix entering suddenly.**_

"_**Do you mind knocking, you gave me a bit of a fright," replied Axel a little cranky.**_

"_**I'm surprised to find you awake, what happened to, a guy needs to sleep," taunted Saix.**_

"_**Saix," grumbled Axel.**_

"_**Just tell me how it went, I assume the Heartless is disposed of?" he asked seriously.**_

"_**You sure it's there? I searched all night and didn't find it, maybe Xigbar's off his coordinates?" replied Axel.**_

"_**You didn't find it?" asked Saix suspicious.**_

"_**Not a thing," replied Axel.**_

"_**Funny, it was on the sensors all night. I'll get Xigbar to check it out and I'll send you back tonight, that Heartless must be destroyed," replied Saix leaving.**_

"_**Great, just like I thought," sighed Axel.**_

_**Later Axel went to the mission room; a few of the other members were hanging around there but they didn't seem to notice him as he went over to one of the windows leaning on it still thinking about Allune.**_

"_**Gah what a doofus, let's face it I totally choked last night," he thought to himself annoyed looking out into the darkness outside the castle. What annoyed him most was that as he replayed the night's event's over and over again he found he couldn't remember anything from hearing Allune's flute to when he'd broken away from her in the alley, it made him feel unusual inside. This was the trouble with being a Nobody, if you did manage to ever feel something it's not like you'd know what it was. The one memory he did have before the whizz of trying to fight this unusual Heartless was just as confusing for him.**_

"_**Her eyes…" he thought to himself remembering. Just before he threw her off he could remember what she'd looked like so close up, but the memory seemed to last forever, more like a photograph than a memory.**_

"_**Gee Axel, you look more spaced than usual today," Axel heard a cheerful voice say. He looked back to find Demyx standing in front of him with his sitar held effortlessly over his shoulder.**_

"_**Look who's talking Demyx," sneered Axel folding his arms arrogantly.**_

"_**Dude, you look like you've barely slept, something must be up," he smiled.**_

"_**I was out on a mission all night, can you believe it," replied Axel.**_

"_**Seriously, must have been a really important one," said Demyx interested.**_

"_**Well maybe if you worked a little harder you could get such an important mission," smiled Axel.**_

"_**And miss out on time with my little baby? No way," laughed Demyx strumming his sitar happily, this gave Axel an idea.**_

"_**Hey Demyx, that sitar of yours, can you maybe, what does it actually do for you in battle?" he asked.**_

"_**It's my secret weapon, you could say I'm really a-tune with my water magic," he laughed cheerfully.**_

"_**What about the Heartless, does it attract them at all?" he asked.**_

"_**Don't think so, I mean those creatures are stupid, it's not like I've ever asked one to come over so I can rip it apart," replied Demyx leaving Axel alone.**_

"_**So it's not the flute," sighed Axel looking out the window again.**_

"_**Hey Axel what's the deal with what happened last night?" Axel heard Xigbar say, he'd just come over as Demyx had left.**_

"_**Don't blame me, I just didn't find it," replied Axel.**_

"_**What you going blind? It's not like that creature's hard to spot, of course all I've seen is that thing's shadow but if I didn't know better I'd say it looked just like a girl. After all, we all got to keep an eye out for the ladies huh stud?" replied Xigbar.**_

"_**A girl…" Axel stammered a little.**_

"_**See I knew that would grab your attention. Don't worry big guy, I'm popping out there now to set a trap for this thing, then tonight all you got to do is kill it once it's caught. After all Heartless are stupid right?" chuckled Xigbar.**_

"_**Of course, don't worry about me Xigbar, I'll get it this time," replied Axel confidently.**_

"_**See that you do," nodded Xigbar leaving for Twilight Town.**_

"_**Even if I can't stop thinking about her, she's just a Heartless; still, it's a shame to just scatter the hearts she said were inside her. I wonder how many she has?" wondered Axel watching the stars go by.**_

_**As the sun set in Twilight Town Axel arrived at the train station to find Xigbar finishing his trap. On the floor in a circle were a few sharp blades, but other than that the trap didn't look that lethal.**_

"_**That's a trap?" asked Axel arrogantly.**_

"_**Course it is," smiled Xigbar revealing a rope that he was holding, on the other end was a small shadow Heartless.**_

"_**I wondered what you'd be using for bait," nodded Axel as Xigbar tied the end of the rope to a branch over hanging the blades.**_

"_**There, we know really big ones will cannibalise their small cousins, so as soon as the one we're after tries to get this little shrimp those blade's will trap it in an impenetrable field of energy, easy shooting huh rex?" explained Xigbar.**_

"_**Leave it to me," nodded Axel.**_

"_**Good, it's definitely still in Twilight Town, make sure you get it Axel," replied Xigbar leaving through a Dark Corridor.**_

"_**Well it's about as primitive as Heartless are supposed to be, I wonder if she'll really fall for it. I best get hiding," thought Axel going to hide behind some crates as night fell and he waited to see if the trap worked.**_

_**It was quiet, the trains stopped running and the lamps gently flickered on, the only thing Axel could really hear was the odd squeak from the shadow Heartless as it tried to escape. Axel kept watching the trap but as time wore on he started to really doubt Xigbar's plan.**_

"_**This is really silly, I'd have better luck seeing if I can hear her flute again," he sighed shivering a little, "I know it won't affect me but it always makes me shiver thinking about it."**_

"_**It's a side effect," he suddenly heard Allune's voice, he looked up and she was looking down at him from the top of the crates. Axel stood up then and she knelt on the crates flicking her hair flirtively.**_

"_**How'd you find me?" he asked surprised. Allune picked up her flute and played a little, Axel shivered again.**_

"_**I thought so," she nodded stopping and Axel just looked at her confused. Allune stood up and went over to the trap, Axel watched amazed as she floated into the air and cut down the Heartless avoiding the blades completely, the little Heartless wasn't so lucky and the energy was so powerful it disintegrated immediately leaving it's heart energy, Allune caught it and came back over to Axel.**_

"_**Here take it," she said and Axel looked at her confused.**_

"_**You said you didn't have a heart right, well I don't need every one I pick up, take it, have a heart of your own. Then you won't be a Nobody anymore," she smiled at him, Axel took the heart for a moment but it disappeared as soon as he touched it.**_

"_**Where'd it go?" she wondered confused.**_

"_**It doesn't work that way, I can't just take a heart from something else and put it in me, the only way not to be a Nobody is to get my own unique heart, not someone else's," he replied.**_

"_**You really are useless, you can't collect hearts and you can't just take one for yourself, what can you Nobody's do?" she said walking away from him. Axel engaged his chakrams angrily, he didn't like being made fun of.**_

"_**I see, you still insist on trying to hurt me? I guess you're as dumb as you are useless," she sighed, "go ahead." She stood there with her arms outstretched as if she was just asking for it. Axel didn't know what she was up to but he just wanted to get this over with. He ran at her with his chakrams and sliced into her powerfully; she didn't even flinch and just looked at him pitifully. This just made Axel mad and he suddenly made his chakrams burst with flames as he tried again and again to attack her, still she didn't move, he couldn't understand it, he'd fought even the most ghostly Heartless and had still managed to hit them, suddenly she moved her arm towards him and Axel suddenly found himself flying into a wall.**_

_**He stood up angrily but she looked at him the same as before and then played her flute again. A group of Shadow Heartless appeared and rushed at Axel only to be torn apart immediately, just as Axel finished the last one he saw Allune reach out towards him again and suddenly all the hearts the defeated Heartless had released flew towards her and her body glistened as she devoured them.**_

"_**I don't get it, I can kill these pathetic Heartless but I can't even touch you, not that that seems to stop you from being able to hit me," said Axel putting away his chakrams.**_

"_**You think I'm going to just let you kill me?" glared Allune.**_

"_**I've had enough playing games with you Heartless, I have my orders and you're really starting to make me look bad," replied Axel annoyed. Allune smiled at him arrogantly before walking back up to him and placing her hand on his chest.**_

"_**Poor little Nobody, you just don't get it do you? You can't hurt me Axel, my spell won't let you," she told him evilly.**_

"_**What!" he cried.**_

"_**My kiss may have failed to take your heart but my spell is far from broken," she told him seeming to pity him.**_

"_**I don't have time for this, get rid of it then, you know I don't have a heart so get rid of it," snapped Axel annoyed.**_

"_**I can't," she replied and Axel just got angrier.**_

"_**This isn't funny Heartless!" he yelled.**_

"_**Will you calm down," she replied walking away from him a bit, "it's not like I knew this was going to happen, I told you, my spell only works once and lasts until I've taken the heart from my victim. You don't have a heart so I can't remove my spell, besides, you seem to have control of yourself again so why are you so angry?"**_

"_**Why me," said Axel exasperated, "so what does this mean? What's going to happen to me now?"**_

"_**I don't know, this hasn't happened before, but I can see us having some fun," she smiled flirtively.**_

"_**I don't really have time for fun, what am I supposed to tell people, if I don't get rid of you I'm going to be stuck coming here every night until eventually they clue into the fact I managed to get myself tricked by a Heartless," he told her.**_

"_**So, just tell them you got me, they're not here, how will they know?" she shrugged.**_

"_**Trust me they know, they don't take kindly to failing you know," he told her.**_

"_**They could just send someone else if you're so worried about being a failure, still, I'll just keep using my flute. If you were affected I'm sure these others you keep talking about will fall just as easily," she sneered evilly Axel looked away uninterested in continuing the conversation.**_

"_**What's the point, all that'll happen when you die is your hearts will scatter all over the place and then there'll just be more Heartless to kill," he replied going to walk away from her.**_

"_**Yes, you can't collect them can you," she said sounding sad for him.**_

"_**The Organisation haven't figured it out yet, I guess at the moment Xemnas is just hoping eventually they'll just end up where we want them of their own accord," he joked not having much faith in the plan.**_

"_**Where do you want them to end up?" asked Allune.**_

"_**Why do you want to know?" asked Axel confused.**_

"_**You think I shouldn't wonder where my heart is going to end up one day?" she replied looking at him conceitedly.**_

_**Axel looked up to the clock tower on top of the station and sighed running his hands through his hair exasperated.**_

"_**If I can't get rid of you I might as well tell you," he replied going off towards the station, "come on." Allune looked at him confused before following him up to the top of the clock tower, Axel sat on the edge when they got there and Allune curled up on her legs beside him.**_

"_**Nice view," said Allune approvingly.**_

"_**I like to come up here to think," said Axel leaning back a little.**_

"_**So, how come you and this, Organisation, want to kill us Heartless so badly and take our hearts?" she asked him naggingly.**_

"_**There's this thing called Kingdom Hearts, don't really know what it is exactly, but we have to collect all those hearts and apparently if we give Kingdom Hearts enough then we'll get our own hearts, I guess it's what us Nobody's are meant for," explained Axel calmly.**_

"_**And yet, you don't have the tools to do what you're supposed to do, surely if it was really your purpose you'd be able to do it?" wondered Allune.**_

"_**Well what about you, why do you Heartless want hearts so badly? You're first one I've ever known to talk, most of the time they're just mindless little creatures stealing hearts for no reason," replied Axel Allune looked away a little huddling up in her arms.**_

"_**I don't know," she said quietly.**_

"_**You don't know?" he replied surprised. Allune looked at her flute and held it up until it was shining in the moonlight, she sighed slightly.**_

"_**It's, like a great thirst, no matter how many hearts I consume I can never quench it, I just seem to want more and more. I've been like that ever since I became a Heartless," she told him sadly.**_

"_**Hang on, you can remember becoming a Heartless?" asked Axel, if he hadn't decided before Allune was definitely a different kind of Heartless from any he'd ever come across.**_

"_**Can't you remember becoming a Nobody?" she asked.**_

"_**It's not that simple for us, we don't just, become, Nobody's," replied Axel difficultly.**_

_**Allune looks at him interested for a few moments and puts her flute away before placing her hand on one of his that he has placed on the stone railing they're sitting on.**_

"_**Axel, I have an idea," she said to him quietly and he looked at her quizzically.**_

"_**Yes?" he asked confused.**_

"_**Why don't we work together?" she replied and Axel just got more confused.**_

"_**You're a Heartless, how can we work together, I can't bring you back to the castle?" he replied.**_

"_**I'll disappear from this place, they won't know I'm still alive. Then when you go on your other missions I'll collect the hearts of the Heartless for you, then, when you find a way to put them into Kingdom Hearts, you can kill me," she told him and he backed away surprised.**_

"_**What? You want me to kill you all of a sudden?" he asked amazed.**_

"_**I don't want to be a Heartless forever Axel, enslaved to this terrible thirst, what do you say, deal? I'll see what I can do about getting my spell off you too if you want," she smiled at him sincerely. Axel was astounded but then he nodded agreeing, it was a good idea, after all how many hearts could she put into Kingdom Hearts in one go and it's not like he had to tell Saix what he was doing.**_

"_**Ok Allune, you got yourself a deal," he smiled opening the dark corridor to go home, "just one thing, how are you going to find me?"**_

"_**Don't worry, I'll find you," she nodded and Axel left her.**_

_**Allune floated down to the ground again and then sat upon the crates Axel had been hiding behind. She began playing her flute and seemed to drift off into a trance herself. She was trying to remember something from a long time ago, despite what she'd told Axel she didn't remember as much of her past as it seemed. One night she'd woken up in the middle of Twilight Town, she felt so weak like she'd been asleep for a long time. Then on the floor next to her she found a blue crystal flute, as she looked at it curiously it began to glow and play all by itself. Suddenly a man came round the corner and she saw him come over to her. She tried to speak but she didn't make any sound and the flute just kept playing. Suddenly she felt a strange sparking coming from her chest, the flute stopped playing and she was able to stand. The man just stood there looking at her.**_

"_**I didn't know what I was doing, just this yearning in my body," she remembers seeing herself get closer to the man before kissing him on the lips. The man's heart came out of his body and went into hers as she let go. She looked around confused but soon she heard more people coming and the flute began to glow brightly disappearing in her hand, she ran off afraid to be seen.**_

"_**Ever since I've taken the hearts from men, only men, strangely I've never attracted a girl with my flute," she thought to herself stopping playing and looking up to the sky. She could see that the sun was coming up and so she quietly slipped into the shadows disappearing again.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Unusual Partnership**_

_**Lying on his bed Axel still couldn't sleep, no matter what he did thoughts of Allune just kept getting in the way. Was it because she was so unusual? Was it her annoying spell that was keeping him awake? Axel didn't know but he was starting to get really annoyed with it.**_

"_**Allune just let me sleep will you," he grumbled sitting up tiredly. He looked around the blank room dissatisfied and decided to get up.**_

"_**It's not like these colours could be any more of a sleep incentive, grey, grey, grey, yep that's grey too," he said to himself pacing around. Maybe that was the problem, it not like Allune was boring, maybe that's why thinking about her made him unable to sleep.**_

"_**Something too exciting for me, Axel, the guy who plays literally with fire, nah can't be," he chuckled to himself deciding to go for a walk around the castle for a bit.**_

"_**Maybe a little physical activity?" he wondered walking through the grey halls, "hmm, guess I never noticed how deadpan the colour scheme is around here." After a while Axel got into the mission room, it was still early but there were a few of the Organisation about.**_

"_**More grey," he sighed going over to the window he seemed to like to lean on.**_

"_**Gosh, what happened Axel did hell freeze over," he heard a sarcastic female voice say, it was Larxene looking at him as ever with just a sheer look of displeasure on her face.**_

"_**Hey I can wake up just as much as you Larxy," he chuckled arrogantly.**_

"_**My name is Larxene," she snapped, her temper seemed as sharp as the knives on her hands, Axel guessed being the only women she suffered from an inferiority complex and was just overcompensating.**_

"_**Simmer down lightning queen there's no reason to get stormy," replied Axel uninterested in picking a fight.**_

"_**That's right my dear, no need to let the shock of seeing Axel before sunrise go to your head," came another sarcastic voice. Axel rolled his eyes unimpressed, with that overbearing swagger it could only be Marluxia.**_

"_**Marluxia, of course," said Axel uninterested.**_

"_**Axel you could at least look happy to see me," Marluxia glared arrogantly.**_

"_**Why lie," shrugged Axel.**_

"_**Why indeed. By the way I heard about your complete failure the other night, couldn't you come up with a better excuse than, you couldn't find it. Let me guess, you just fell asleep with your eyes open," taunted Marluxia. Axel ran his hand through his hair a little nervously.**_

"_**You could say that," he said quietly before glaring back at Marluxia hatefully, "But hey that Heartless is totally gone now!"**_

"_**Glad to hear it," they heard Saix say from behind them, "Larxene, Marluxia don't you two have work to do."**_

"_**Yes I suppose, come let's leave Axel to dream up another excuse or two for how inferior he is," laughed Marluxia taking Larxene away with him.**_

"_**Hey, I don't need you talking for me Marluxia, I can hold my own," Axel heard Larxene grumble as they left.**_

"_**Can you say highly strung, that guy could do well to relax a little," said Axel exasperated.**_

"_**Don't mind them; tell me about the Heartless, what was it, what did it look like? Are there likely to be more?" asked Saix.**_

"_**Questions, questions, what's with all the questions," said Axel a little defensive.**_

"_**Axel if this is some new type of Heartless we need to know all we can about it so we can handle it better. We can't spend this much time on the next one that appears, if it is very powerful we need to make sure we're prepared for more," explained Saix seriously.**_

"_**Trust me, you can't prepare for this one," Axel said to himself.**_

"_**What was that?" asked Saix.**_

"_**Well there isn't much to tell, it wasn't that different from the others, just better at hiding that's all, still Xigbar's trap, genius," replied Axel trying to cover. Saix looked at him suspiciously and Axel just smiled confidently.**_

"_**Hey what's the big deal, it's gone right," he said.**_

"_**Well our sensors aren't picking it up anymore," replied Saix still looking a bit concerned.**_

"_**There see, nothing to it," smiled Axel.**_

"_**I suppose, still since you seem so eager this morning I'll send you out early today, your flames hold up in cold weather right?" replied Saix.**_

"_**Cold weather, what do you mean cold weather?" worried Axel.**_

"_**We found a new connection to a world that seems almost completely comprised of mountains, why don't you go check them out," said Saix walking off leaving Axel.**_

"_**Why did I have to be awake," sighed Axel deciding to leave and get this over with quickly.**_

_**The dark corridor ended on a rocky plateau in the mountains where Axel stood ankle deep in the light falling snow.**_

"_**Man it's cold," he thought looking around, not far in front of him was a large stone wall which as he looked up went up into the grey sky as more of the mountain. Looking off the side of the plateau the snow impaired his visibility a bit but he could see lots of other mountains around him, it was like a large valley of them.**_

"_**Well not doing much standing here," said Axel engaging his chakrams in case of a sudden attack. He walked up to the stone wall of the mountain that was nearby him and after a little searching he found the entrance to a cave. He stood inside for a moment out of the snow to get his bearings.**_

"_**There's not much to this world, I guess I could check out this cave, I wonder how long I should stay before I can go back and try and to sleep some more," he wondered looking into the darkness of the cave. He looked back out to the snow and decided it was better to check out the cave, using his flame he lit the way as he walked deeper into the cave, after a while it felt as though the floor was sloping downwards.**_

"_**I wonder how far this goes?" he wondered carrying on.**_

_**As he continued in every now and then he could see something shimmer or twinkle in the walls of the hard rock. He stopped at one such twinkle and brushed the rock on the wall revealing a small blue crystal.**_

"_**Hmm, crystals," he thought picking it up and storing it before continuing on. As he did the twinkles became more frequent and more little stones and crystals poked out of the walls. Finally he entered a chamber deep in the mountain and looked amazed at the huge crystals that filled it, some as big as boulders, it looked like even the walls were made of crystal.**_

"_**They're beautiful aren't they," Axel heard a voice, he looked behind him and Allune had appeared sitting on one of the crystals.**_

"_**Allune, what are you doing here?" asked Axel.**_

"_**You forgot our deal already?" she replied tilting her head.**_

"_**How did you find me, I thought you just hung around Twilight Town?" he replied and she giggled and held up her flute.**_

"_**Great, the spell," he asked sarcastically.**_

"_**Seems I can find you wherever you go," she giggled standing up.**_

"_**What is this place?" he asked her.**_

"_**A grotto, deep inside this mountain, most crystals come from underground," she replied picking a couple up from the floor.**_

_**Axel watched her and took out the crystal he'd taken from the wall before, he looked through it as he watched her and smiled seeing all the little sides fill with her image like tiny windows, then he looked at her flute and noticed something.**_

"_**Hey, this looks just like your flute," he said and Allune looked at the crystal he was holding, she held up her flute and they did look similar.**_

"_**Maybe it came from here?" she wondered inspecting her flute interested.**_

"_**Have you been here before?" he asked her and she shook her head.**_

"_**I don't remember much, but this flute wasn't with me until I became a Heartless," she replied going back to collecting crystals.**_

"_**Well on the bright side you remember more than most Heartless I'd guess," smiled Axel watching her and she smiled back at him.**_

"_**So what are you doing here?" she asked him.**_

"_**Saix sent me to check this place out, it's freezing here, you think these are ice crystals?" he replied looking around at the huge gems.**_

"_**I think they're diamonds," she replied standing up with a few in her arms.**_

"_**Diamonds?" he asked confused.**_

"_**Humans like them, I can see why, they're really pretty, I've seen a lot of women in Twilight Town wearing them," she explained giving him one that she'd picked up.**_

"_**Are they useful?" he asked not impressed.**_

"_**They're crazy sharp," she replied going over to one of the larger crystals and scratching her name into one of them with one of the smaller ones.**_

"_**So if I coat my chakrams in this diamond stuff, it'll make them sharper?" he wondered.**_

"_**I think you'd have to melt it down first," said Allune noticing how chunky the diamonds here were.**_

"_**No problem," smiled Axel confidently and suddenly the diamond in his hand burst into flames, "see?" Allune came back over and watched the flames intensely, Axel could see she seemed impressed and tried to make the flames bigger.**_

"_**That should do it," he smiled and the flames went out, but the diamond was still intact.**_

"_**Huh?" said Axel surprised looking at it; the diamond had turned red and was radiating an intense light which lit up the whole chamber in a deep red hue.**_

"_**Wow Axel," said Allune walking over to the walls and large gems amazed by the red light.**_

"_**Guess these things can't melt," he wondered looking at the room amazed. Suddenly little black shadows appeared in the room and a large group of Heartless appeared around them.**_

"_**Great, Heartless," said Axel putting the diamond down and engaging his chakrams.**_

"_**Well, guess it's time to see how we do, partner," smiled Allune confidently looking like she was ready to fight. Axel smiled wryly at her before leaping into action against the Heartless. Allune went into battle as well but didn't have to do very much other than catch the wayward hearts from those that Axel destroyed.**_

_**The Heartless onslaught continued and Axel kept one eye on Allune as he fought with them, it seemed as though Allune didn't have a weapon to use against them and hadn't even gone for her flute yet, instead as soon as the Heartless got close to her they were seeming to just disintegrate as she reached out towards them. These were small energy blasts, Allune wasn't designed to fight but she did have this power as a kind of defence mechanism, however it wasn't very powerful. Suddenly a larger Heartless attacked her and Allune realised quickly that she couldn't fight it alone, she dashed back a bit towards the large crystals but soon became pinned against them. Axel saw the large Heartless and suddenly dashed at it and set it on fire making it come away from Allune before finishing it quickly, Allune watched him fighting amazed, he'd actually saved her. Once the large Heartless was defeated Allune caught its heart and seeing their leader destroyed the other Heartless disappeared and ran away cowardly.**_

"_**Man, that was tiring," panted Axel starting to feel fatigued.**_

"_**Thank you…" he heard Allune seem to whisper from behind him, he turned and looked at her quizzically.**_

"_**You could have let it kill me, then you'd be free of my spell, but, you saved me, thank you," she said again smiling a little.**_

"_**Don't read too much into it," replied Axel coldly, "you're right I could have let it kill you, after all it's your dumb spell's fault I haven't slept since I met you."**_

"_**I thought you looked tired," she said coming away from the crystals.**_

"_**I don't get it, it must be that spell, I can't stop thinking about you and it's starting to tick me off," he explained putting his chakrams away.**_

"_**You can't…" said Allune turning away to hide her sudden shyness, Axel looked at her quizzically before going over to one of the larger crystals. He picked up a large fragment and slashed it at the large gem severing off a long fragment of crystal. Allune turned back to him and watched as he used the smaller fragment to carve and sharpen the long one into a curved blade. Axel then set it on fire and when he stopped the blade glistened red like the diamond had done but it soon cooled and seemed to have become smoother. Axel came back over and gave it to Allune.**_

"_**What's this?" she asked.**_

"_**You said this stuff was sharp, you really need a weapon if you're going to fight Heartless with me, I can't keep jumping in to save you when the big ones come out," he smiled arrogantly and Allune smiled holding the blade effortlessly, she ran her flute over the blade and it disappeared.**_

"_**There, now I can call it just like your blades," she smiled at him.**_

"_**Come on, we better get out of here, I think I've done enough for Saix today," sighed Axel taking a couple of diamonds and walking back to the opening of the chamber.**_

"_**Axel, wait," called Allune and Axel turned back.**_

"_**I think I know a way to help you sleep," she said nervously.**_

"_**Really, how?" he asked and she brought out her flute, "Oh no. Not that thing, the other's think I'm acting weird enough."**_

"_**Axel I didn't mean… I just thought maybe my music will help you sleep," she explained.**_

"_**Look, even if that thing wasn't dangerous you can't help me, I can't take you to the castle, you're a Heartless, eventually I'll probably just keel over from fatigue," he replied going back into the tunnel. Allune sighed and followed him out,**_

"_**For a guy with no heart you sure can be stubborn."**_

"_**It's still snowing," said Axel when he got to the opening.**_

"_**Well maybe you'll be lucky and you won't have to come here often," smiled Allune.**_

"_**Yeah, there isn't much here of interest, unless Saix can come up with a use for those diamonds," joked Axel.**_

"_**Well I think we make a pretty good team," said Allune confidently.**_

"_**How many did you get?" asked Axel.**_

"_**Don't know, didn't count, I think I got them all, still that big one makes up about as much as all of the little ones," replied Allune.**_

"_**That's great," replied Axel.**_

"_**All you have to do is figure out how to get them out of me," replied Allune coldly.**_

"_**Yeah, but not till you've got way more in you, you know, why harvest half a crop," replied Axel light heartedly and Allune smiled a little agreeing.**_

"_**Well, I better go. Do you get cold?" he asked suddenly.**_

"_**Not really, don't really feel heat either," she replied disappearing into the shadows of the cave. Axel nodded interested opening a dark corridor and returning to the castle.**_

_**Later Axel sat on his bed fumbling one of the diamonds he'd brought back from the cave. He looked around warily for a moment before setting the diamond on fire and watching how different the red sparkling light made his room look.**_

"_**Grey, red, grey, red," he said to himself covering the diamond and then uncovering it again watching the light make the room look brighter and less boring. He chuckled to himself putting the diamond down and then stood up stretching tiredly.**_

"_**Ok, that's enough of a warm up, lets see if I can sleep," he smiled to himself, he was about to get back onto the bed when Saix appeared.**_

"_**Anything to report?" he asked.**_

"_**I'm never going to sleep," sighed Axel turning round to him and picking up one of the diamonds.**_

"_**Saix there's nothing much there, except a cave full of these diamonds," he explained showing him.**_

"_**A diamond? It's just a shiny rock," replied Saix uninterested.**_

"_**Yeah but watch this," smiled Axel showing him what happens when he sets the diamond on fire, but Saix still wasn't impressed.**_

"_**So you can make it change colour," he sighed, "we saw Heartless on the sensors, a big one was with them, any ideas?"**_

"_**Single handedly took them all out, yep that's me," nodded Axel confidently.**_

"_**Oh really? Well where did the hearts go?" asked Saix.**_

"_**Hearts?" said Axel unsure.**_

"_**You know they just make new Heartless when they're released but interestingly the sensors haven't picked up any new Heartless, so, where did the hearts go?" Saix asked seriously.**_

"_**Don't look at me, it's not like I can collect them, you put way too much trust in that computer Saix," replied Axel turning away annoyed.**_

"_**Perhaps," nodded Saix leaving and Axel sighed relieved.**_

"_**Man, can't get anything past that guy, anyway no more thinking, just close my mind and sleep, I'm going to sleep!" thought Axel determinedly laying back on the bed. He stared at the grey ceiling watching the little sparkles from the diamonds on the table beside the bed.**_

"_**Like my own little set of stars," he smiled to himself closing his eyes and trying to sleep.**_

_**However nothing changed, as soon as he closed his eyes he could see Allune in his mind.**_

"_**Get out of my head," he grumbled opening his eyes again and laying on his side, he lay there completely still staring at the blank wall hoping eventually his eyes would just get so tired he'd have to sleep, he was getting desperate. On the other side of the room a faint outline seeped in through the wall silently floating in the air. It looked down to where Axel was laying and moved closer to him. It was Allune, despite all his protesting she'd managed to find her way into the castle.**_

"_**Don't worry Axel, I'll help you sleep now," she smiled to herself taking her flute out and playing quietly. On the bed Axel just kept staring at the wall, her music was so quiet he could barely hear it yet but finally he was starting to feel sleepy. Then he started to hear it, the music was like a soft lullaby but by now he was too tired to care.**_

"_**That's really…" he yawned finally falling asleep. Allune stopped playing and smiled happily before disappearing out of the room.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Where Do Released Hearts Go**_

_**When Axel woke up he'd found he'd managed to sleep through the night, he sat up and stretched his arms satisfied.**_

"_**Finally, I knew I could do it eventually," he smiled looking over to the other side of the room and getting a major surprise seeing Saix standing by his door with some kind of hand held machine like he was looking for something.**_

"_**What the hell! Don't mind me I'm just asleep over here!" he yelled surprised.**_

"_**Shut up Axel and help me," snapped Saix sternly, it was then Axel clued in to what he was doing.**_

"_**Huh? What's with the tiny tech?" he asked sitting on the edge of the bed.**_

"_**While you were dozing off the sensors picked up a Heartless in the castle, there's residue all over this room, you must have been really knocked out not to have noticed it you idiot," replied Saix annoyed. Axel stood up immediately how on earth could a Heartless get into the castle.**_

"_**Don't blame me, I haven't slept since you sent me on that wild goose chase," replied Axel defensively.**_

"_**You can really be dense sometimes. Whatever it was it's not here now, the whole castle's on alert till we find it, nothing's getting in or out. Make yourself useful and find it," replied Saix leaving.**_

"_**Great going Axel, a Heartless manages to get into your room and you're too conked out to notice," he thought to himself annoyed, "funny, I can't remember going to sleep last night, gee I must have been fatigued." Axel looked around warily in case the Heartless was hiding before deciding to go into the halls of the castle to help look for it.**_

"_**Why does this castle have to be so big?" he thought to himself looking through the corridors, he hadn't found anything yet but he could see all the windows had big metal sheets over them, the castle was still locked down.**_

"_**Hey ya Axel, any luck," said Demyx coming up from another corridor.**_

"_**Is Saix sure that sensor of his isn't just going haywire," replied Axel.**_

"_**I don't know, he sounded pretty serious, he said the reading was infrequent but pretty big, like it can cloak itself, it sounds pretty dangerous to me. Can you imagine if the Heartless ever attacked this place all at once, there's way more of them then there are us," replied Demyx.**_

"_**I hadn't thought of that," nodded Axel understanding the seriousness.**_

"_**You must've got some sleep at last, you're looking like your old self again. Good luck Axel," smiled Demyx running off to search.**_

"_**Did not sleeping really affect me so badly Demyx thought I looked bad, it's like that guy's never met a mirror," Axel joked to himself, he turned back round to continue in the direction of the hallway when he suddenly saw something blur past him. He looked around confused before looking forward and seeing a faint ghostly outline at the end of the corridor.**_

"_**Saix wasn't kidding, there is a Heartless in here!" he cried realising Saix was telling the truth and giving chase with his chakrams. The outline seemed to see him coming and quickly flew off leading him higher and higher up a tower of the castle until finally it couldn't go any higher and with the metal sheets on the window it couldn't get away.**_

"_**Got you now Heartless!" said Axel arrogantly going to throw his chakrams before he suddenly heard the Heartless giggle. **_

"_**It that Heartless, laughing?" he thought putting his chakrams down and looking closer at the outline, the form seemed to look up at him and suddenly become solid, it was Allune.**_

"_**Allune!" he cried worried, "What are you doing here? I told you, you can't come in this place! Oh great, this whole alert's been set off by you hasn't it."**_

"_**Morning to you too sleepyhead," she smiled flirtively.**_

"_**If it was you why did you make me run all the way up here?" he asked.**_

"_**Well I was going to just sneak up on you, then I saw your friend and thought better of it, there's more of them than I thought, the nasty looking one with the eye patch almost caught me," she explained.**_

"_**That's Xigbar, he's the one who made that trap back in Twilight Town," replied Axel, "you have to get out of here, Heartless aren't supposed to be able to get into the castle."**_

"_**Yes, that barrier outside was a bit of a pain to get through," she replied flicking her hair arrogantly, "still, now I know where I can find you there's no reason we can't tell your friends about our little plan."**_

"_**You're mad, you're utterly mad," replied Axel annoyed, "do you know what they'll do to you if they find you?"**_

"_**Don't worry, you're the only one who can see me, at least until sunset," she replied confidently.**_

"_**Really?" asked Axel tilting his head interested.**_

"_**This place is too bright for me, for some reason I don't do so well in the light and most people can't see me. But of course thanks to my flute you can," she explained.**_

"_**No wonder your signature is throwing off the sensors," nodded Axel understanding.**_

"_**There's just one problem," she told him shakily.**_

"_**What?" worried Axel.**_

"_**If they do somehow find a way to see me, I'm well, powerless in the light, not even my flute's any use, I already tried on the stern looking one with the blue hair, he couldn't hear me," she replied.**_

"_**Now Saix as a zombie, that I'd like to see," laughed Axel and she looked at him a little pathetically, "so what happens when its night, these lights stay on constantly here and our outside doesn't change either."**_

"_**Well then we have a different problem, I'll get my powers back and I can hide like normal, but then everyone will be able to see me," she replied.**_

"_**But it was daytime in the cave yesterday," said Axel confused.**_

"_**It was dark in the cave, it either has to be dark or night time for my powers to work, though even when it's night I don't really like bright lights," she explained.**_

"_**Must be a Heartless thing, they don't really like light much normally," he shrugged putting his chakrams away.**_

"_**It doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere soon, the castle's in lockdown until the Heartless causing the alert is gone, if your powers are out I'm guessing you can't just fly out of here," said Axel and Allune nodded.**_

"_**I came in last night, and well I got so distracted checking this place out I forgot to leave before sunrise," she explained a little embarrassingly.**_

"_**Last night, what were you doing in here last night?" he asked and she giggled a little.**_

"_**Did you sleep well?" she asked and Axel looked at her confused.**_

"_**Yeah, but why are you asking about…" he trailed off realising, "you were in my room weren't you?"**_

"_**A little lullaby does wonders," she replied posing with her flute.**_

"_**I thought I told you, what's going to happen to me now!" yelled Axel angrily.**_

"_**Nothing silly, I can just play it for the sake of it you know," she replied calmly.**_

"_**Then, why did it make me sleep?" he asked concerned.**_

"_**You were obviously exhausted. Don't worry, as soon as night falls I'll make a few Heartless appear and you can take them out, then I'll get out of here and those others will think everything's ok," she replied and Axel agreed reluctantly.**_

"_**I can't just stay here though, I'm supposed to be looking for the intruder," said Axel.**_

"_**Great, I was wondering if you'd take me on a tour," smiled Allune walking over to him Axel sighed running his hands through his hair and nodded agreeing and taking her back down the corridors. Axel couldn't help but feel weird about walking around with a Heartless following him, it didn't seem natural, no matter how much he was glad it was only her and not another Heartless. Still, it wasn't like she was any different to other Heartless, not really, was she? He wondered about it as they walked together, Heartless and Nobodies had always seemed sworn enemies, he'd lost count a long time ago how many Heartless he'd slain only to have their hearts fly off and make another one somewhere. Sure he couldn't hurt her because of the flute but he wondered why he hadn't just brought her to Saix already and have him deal with her, was it just his arrogant pride anymore?**_

"_**You guys sure like grey don't you," said Allune having noticed very little of the castle looked unique.**_

"_**It's funny, I didn't really notice until yesterday, you should see what a difference those heated up diamonds make," he replied.**_

"_**Actually, the only colour I've seen here is what ever colours your Organisation friends have as their hair, blue, yellow, pink, and red of course," she replied going to stroke his hair.**_

"_**What are you doing?" he asked unnerved.**_

"_**What, I like it is all, glossy and soft, you must take care of it, like a big red flame on your head," she replied and Axel sighed,**_

"_**Go ahead…" Allune touched his hair gently and stroked it nicely, the feeling of her skin in his hair made Axel feel weird, it felt, nice, different from how he'd do it. He seemed to zone out for a minute before realising how close up she was to him, she was smiling but she was as close to him as she had been when she'd tried to take his non-existent heart. He had a sudden flashback then and stopped her, pushing her away slightly.**_

"_**Ok, ok, I'm not a cat," he told her covering.**_

"_**Axel?" she wondered see him stagger away from her slightly.**_

"_**I'm fine really," he replied seeing her looking a little worried.**_

"_**Who said you weren't?" he heard Larxene say from behind him, he turned to see her and Marluxia standing looking at him as if he was mad.**_

"_**Tell me, are you talking to yourself?" asked Marluxia arrogantly.**_

"_**Marluxia please, that would be crazy," snubbed Axel.**_

"_**Oh I saw them before, that girl must really like pink," said Allune cluelessly and Axel had to stop himself sniggering.**_

"_**Are you making fun of me Axel," glared Marluxia.**_

"_**Please, don't we have more important things to do, like finding this Heartless," replied Axel coldly.**_

"_**Oh yes, I heard Saix found it's residue in your room, you got a little pet you're not telling us about Axel," said Larxene sarcastically.**_

"_**I'm no pet!" growled Allune annoyed.**_

"_**I'd have thought a pet was more your thing Larxy," sneered Axel, "you seem to have Marluxia on a pretty short leash."**_

"_**It's Larxene! Larxene!" shouted Larxene angrily.**_

"_**Please my dear allow me," glared Marluxia taking his scythe and holding it to Axel's throat.**_

"_**You listen to me Axel, I know you're up to something so you better watch it, cause I'll be watching you. Maybe it's time this rose bush needed pruning of a few thorns," threatened Marluxia.**_

_**Axel glared at him hatefully before pushing him off engaging his chakrams.**_

"_**You're the one who better watch it Marluxia, last I heard plants burn up pretty easily, your flowery talk doesn't scare me," glared Axel coldly. The two rivals glared at each other for a few moments before Marluxia turned to Larxene and walked off with her.**_

"_**He's hiding something, I just know it," thought Marluxia as he left.**_

"_**That showed them," smiled Axel arrogantly letting his chakrams disappear before noticing Allune looking away a little oddly, "what's up? Don't let what they said get to you, besides, you're right, Marluxia does look like a girl."**_

"_**You mean that was a guy?" she replied amazed and Axel laughed finally. The two walked on but Allune still looked a little distant, after a while Axel felt he'd done enough pretend searching and decided to go back to his room with Allune. Axel sat on the bed and Allune leant on the wall.**_

"_**You ok?" he asked finally.**_

"_**That girl, she, looks familiar to me," Allune replied quietly.**_

"_**Really, you've seen Larxene before?" he replied interested.**_

"_**No but, that hair, that voice, I feel like I've heard her before, seen that hairstyle, but I'm not sure where or how. My memories are fading," she sighed sitting with him.**_

"_**Fading?" Axel asked and she nodded.**_

"_**I used to be able to remember a lot from when I first became a Heartless, but lately, I feel as though my memories are being swallowed by the same Darkness that took my heart," she explained difficultly, "the only thing that helps, is my flute, sometimes it's like it wakes me up, helps me remember something I'd otherwise forget."**_

"_**Wow is there anything that flute can't do, I'd like to see you without it, that would be interesting," replied Axel.**_

"_**I wouldn't want to. I don't know, I feel like this flute is somehow an integral part of my existence, I don't know what I'd do without it, I certainly couldn't feed that's for sure," she replied, "I've felt connected to it since the day I woke up, it was right there next to me, it's like I just fell asleep in the alley, and woke up a Heartless."**_

"_**Must be difficult not being able to remember who you are," he replied seriously.**_

"_**What about you, you said your memories aren't as simple as mine," she asked him and he shook his head not sure how explain.**_

"_**I can kind of remember who I used to be, but I'm a completely different being now so I don't think about it much. You're probably completely different from who you used to be too, you shouldn't let it worry you," he tried to get off the subject and she nodded slightly.**_

"_**You know Axel, before I met you I never questioned anything. I just lured prey and took their hearts, that was my life. Now, it's like there's more out there than I ever thought, I mean, Nobodies, I wasn't even sure what I was for a long time, you just seemed to know right away," she tried to cheer up.**_

"_**Well you're no ordinary Heartless, I know that much," replied Axel.**_

"_**And you're no ordinary Nobody," she replied smiling shyly.**_

"_**What do you mean, I'm no different than the others, the only thing that tells us apart is our hair, and our powers," he replied confused.**_

"_**Well do you think any of those others would make a deal with a Heartless like me? Even if they were under my spell don't you think they would have found a way to get rid of me by now? Especially that Marluxia," she giggled, "instead, you saved me from that Heartless, and even now, you haven't told anyone I'm here."**_

"_**What makes you think I don't have some plot in my head just to fatten you up before we kill you?" glared Axel disbelievingly.**_

"_**I think, you like me," she replied shaking her head.**_

"_**I don't have any feelings, I don't have a heart," he replied standing and going away from her.**_

"_**What makes you think you need a heart to feel?" she asked him and he looked back confused.**_

"_**That's, what hearts are for, that's why we don't fully exist," he replied and she stood up.**_

"_**My heart is submerged in darkness, that's how we become Heartless, in some ways I don't have a heart either. You said it yourself, my kind are normally mindless monsters, just stealing hearts for no reason. I'm not any different, not till you came along anyway. There are others like me, I'm sure there are, Heartless who can talk and remember their pasts; I don't know why we're different, anymore than I know why Nobodies exist. Are you really going to tell me there are only twelve Nobodies in the whole world? You have a brain, you need to eat and drink and sleep, just like I do, you told me yourself you can't stop thinking about me," she tried to make him understand.**_

"_**You can still feel because you have a heart, even if it is dark. Besides, thinking about you is just a side effect of your spell, it was why I couldn't sleep, it must be the reason, there's no other explanation," he replied coldly.**_

"_**It's not my flute, I know it's not, because, I can't stop thinking about you either," she replied trying to sound as strong as possible, "that's why I dried up when you told me in the cave, I thought it was just me. There must be a reason why we're so connected, if you have no heart then that must mean we don't need one, either of us. Who needs a heart Axel? Tell me, who?" Axel turned to her unsure what to say, she looked so angry but she was panting like she was injured, he had no idea what was wrong with her.**_

"_**Allune, I'm no different from the other Nobodys, I'll admit it's odd what we're both seeming so afflicted by the other but there's no point pretending we really feel anything. It isn't physically possible, neither of us were designed to feel, I have no heart, and you're an entity of the darkness. It's amazing we're even able to work together," he told her seriously.**_

"_**I understand," she nodded disappearing.**_

"_**Allune? Allune where'd you go?" worried Axel thinking she'd run off. Suddenly he felt a strange presence on his skin and then he felt something touch his lips. He tried to grab hold of the presence but ended up just holding on to the suddenly reappearing Allune.**_

"_**Allune, what are you…" he thought seeing it was her before finding himself unable to let go of her body, he closed his eyes dreamily, he didn't know what was going on, but he liked it. They stayed together for only a short while but it seemed like forever till Allune finally let him go again. Axel looked down at her really confused by her actions but as he looked at her he saw her eyes shining and glassy, the memory he'd been unable to forget since meeting her. She looked like her whole body was shining as she held his hands softly, maybe he couldn't feel anything but she was becoming unable to control her own feelings.**_

"_**It's almost night, we better get you out of here," Axel said shakily and Allune let him go nodding recomposing herself. The two left Axel's room and thankfully for now Allune was still invisible. However Marluxia had been watching the security cameras in the castle for Saix and had watched Axel's most interestingly.**_

"_**Either Axel's gone completely nuts, or I've just uncovered his little secret," glared Marluxia evilly.**_

_**Axel took Allune to the mission room, he thought this would be a good place to set up a few Heartless to fight.**_

"_**Ok Allune, you just hide and create a distraction, soon as the Heartless come out you get out of here," he told her.**_

"_**Axel, I," she stammered before recomposing herself a little and nodded seriously going to hide in the shadow of a pillar.**_

"_**Any luck?" said Axel drawing the attention of the others to himself.**_

"_**Nothing, and the sensor hasn't picked up anything for a while," replied Saix seriously.**_

"_**Maybe it just left on it's own you know, maybe it was a lost Heartless?" said Demyx.**_

"_**Don't give up, the thrill is in the hunt," smiled Xigbar leaning on a window.**_

"_**Well I've been all over this place and I haven't found anything," said Axel looking back to the pillar Allune was hiding behind and subtly winking. Allune saw his signal and luckily he was right on time. She looked at her hand and her body became a little more solid than before, night had fallen.**_

"_**I can get out of here now," she thought blowing a few notes with her flute. Suddenly the four Nobodys were surrounded by shadow Heartless.**_

"_**Heartless!" cried Demyx seeing them.**_

"_**We got them," smiled Xigbar.**_

"_**This is impossible," said Saix looking around at all the Heartless around them.**_

"_**Allune I said a distraction, not an army," sighed Axel grabbing his chakrams and starting to fight with them. Seeing the fight begin Allune carefully floated towards the windows in order to escape, for a moment she looked back to watch Axel in battle, he seemed more energetic than ever, it was almost like he was showboating, the others barely had a chance to attack as his flames danced around himself and the Heartless effortless and graceful. Finally Allune didn't feel it was safe to stay any longer and vanished out of the window and away from the castle. Soon after this Axel finished off the Heartless and stood in the middle of the others arrogantly waiting for their applause or something like that. **_

"_**Well that takes care of them," smiled Axel cockily.**_

"_**Indeed, I wonder Axel, if there were this many before, how did you sleep through them?" asked Saix deadpan as ever.**_

"_**Never can cut a guy a break can you Saix," sighed Axel.**_

"_**Well they're gone now, but this isn't good. I'll have to talk with Xemnas about reinforcing the barrier, we go back to normal operations tomorrow, the Heartless are getting far too dangerous," replied Saix leaving.**_

"_**Such a killjoy," sighed Axel.**_

"_**He's right though, the Heartless have never got in before, after all the damage they do to the other worlds, what if they're going to attack?" wondered Demyx.**_

"_**What you can't handle a few Heartless, they could make good training dummies," chuckled Xigbar arrogantly.**_

_**Meanwhile Saix was met in the hallway by Marluxia, he looked as suspicious as ever and Saix knew something was up. He looked back at Axel and the others for a moment before leaving with Marluxia. Axel went back to his room very satisfied with himself taking out all those Heartless.**_

"_**I wonder if she got out, probably, she'd be here right now if she hadn't," he smiled to himself pacing around still a bit too pumped to try and sleep. He leant on his wall in a relaxed manner and unconsciously ran his hand through his hair. He stopped halfway and pulled some forward to look at it as it caught between his fingers. He could remember the strange tingling in his skin from when Allune touched him and wondered why he didn't feel it when he stroked his own hair. He let his hair go then closing his eyes softly, for a moment it was like he could feel her presence on his skin again but when he looked she definitely wasn't there.**_

"_**You're losing it Axel," he shook his head disbelieving, "you don't have a heart so stop thinking you know what's going on, it isn't possible. And anyway, it's not like she can feel anything either."**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Raging Fire**_

_**The next day Axel was lounging on the one of the sofas in the mission room waiting for a new assignment seeming more upbeat than ever.**_

"_**Hello Axel," he heard Marluxia's sarcastic voice say.**_

"_**Hello Marluxia," replied Axel just as sarcastic.**_

"_**Good job defeating those Heartless yesterday, nice to know you're not totally useless," replied Marluxia.**_

"_**You were quite conspicuous by your absence Marluxia, where were you? Having Larxene file your scythe for you?" sneered Axel.**_

"_**You know I would be more angry at that comment, if I didn't know that…" Marluxia trailed off tauntingly.**_

"_**Know what?" asked Axel standing up.**_

"_**Nothing, now I've got you guessing," chuckled Marluxia evilly before leaving him.**_

"_**That guy gets weirder every day," thought Axel a little confused.**_

"_**Axel," Saix called seeing him from the door, Axel looked at him smugly as he came over.**_

"_**You seem to have a flare for killing Heartless lately, I need you to go back to that mountain world and pick off a few dozen of them, they've suddenly infested the cave and Xemnas seems to have an interest in those diamond things you brought back last time," said Saix.**_

"_**No problem," nodded Axel.**_

"_**Are you ok?" asked Saix suspiciously.**_

"_**Me? Why?" Axel asked confused.**_

"_**You seem, different," replied Saix.**_

"_**You're working too hard Saix, why not give the machines a rest for the day, they're obviously screwing up your eyes," replied Axel uninterested.**_

"_**You're not complaining like normal," glared Saix.**_

"_**You're getting me mixed up with Demyx, I actually like to work you know? See ya," replied Axel starting to get suspicious himself before leaving through a dark corridor. Saix saw Marluxia come over then.**_

"_**Follow him," nodded Saix and Marluxia smiled evilly going too. The corridor closed and Saix looked over to one of the large windows curiously.**_

"_**Hopefully Axel's right and I am just screwing up my eyes," he nodded going about his own business.**_

_**Axel appeared on the snowy plateau and despite the deep snow on the floor the weather was clear for a change, just grey clouds and a deep mist in the distance.**_

"_**Least the wind's died down now," he thought looking over to the cave. He wasted no time in getting inside and as before used his flames to light the way to the diamond grotto, he knew when he got there Allune would be waiting for him, he'd gotten used to her following him around.**_

"_**Axel," she called seeing him enter the chamber. Allune was perched daintily on one of the large gems and smiled slightly seeing him.**_

"_**You made it out," he said going over to her and sitting with her.**_

"_**You're amazing, the way you took out those Heartless, all on your own, you must be pretty strong," she told him and he nodded arrogantly.**_

"_**That's me," he replied cockily, "Saix sent me to get rid of some more Heartless here too, funny he said this cave was infested with them."**_

"_**Haven't seen any yet," shrugged Allune.**_

"_**Still no big, you up for a little heart collection, partner," he nodded to her and Allune nodded back confidently before the diamond blade he'd made for her appeared.**_

"_**I've been practising a little when we've been apart, I think I'm ready now," she told him standing up and Axel stood too. Suddenly little dark spots appeared on the floor and lots of Heartless appeared.**_

"_**Like lambs to the slaughter," sneered Axel ready for them.**_

"_**Let's get them!" cried Allune and the two went into battle with the Heartless.**_

_**Still pumped up from the night before Axel was still cutting through Heartless like there was nothing to it and as he looked over to Allune every now and then he could see she'd improved too. The blade sparkled and shimmered as she moved, against the fluid movement of her ghostly body this was almost as hypnotic as her music, the Heartless almost seemed to stay still as she slashed through them.**_

"_**Glad she's on my side," thought Axel attacking a few more Heartless. After a while all the Heartless in the room were slain and Allune finished collecting their hearts.**_

"_**That's all of them," said Allune.**_

"_**I guess," replied Axel, "I should probably go back." Allune looked at him difficultly for a moment, she didn't want him to go and really Axel didn't really want to go either.**_

"_**Hey, want to go exploring? Maybe there's more than one chamber you know," he asked her and Allune agreed eagerly. Axel laughed a little and led her back out into the tunnel.**_

_**Using his flame he looked around hoping to find anything that he could investigate, Allune could see one wall looked really damaged and as she brushed the earth and rock away a part of it finally fell in revealing another tunnel.**_

"_**Wonder what damaged it?" she wondered peering into the darkness, Axel could hear a slight trickling and at his feet he saw a tiny stream of water seeping out of the fallen rock.**_

"_**Water, maybe there's an underground lake ahead?" he wondered.**_

"_**Wanna go see," taunted Allune.**_

"_**Not big on water but yeah, let's go check it out," nodded Axel and the two wandered through the tunnel. The path got narrower as they walked and the two were forced to walk closer and closer together, eventually the path was so narrow Allune had to walk ahead of Axel but in order to see she had to stay very close to his body, underfoot the water was making things slippery and Axel had to hang onto her shoulder with one of his hands just so he wouldn't fall, Allune didn't have to worry as she could float. Between the quiet sound of running water and the crackling of his flame silence was all that accompanied them through the tunnel, broken every now and then by Axel's footsteps on the sometimes shifting rocks, suddenly Allune stopped and Axel had to stop too.**_

"_**What is it?" he said quietly in case she'd sensed a Heartless.**_

"_**Using your flame like that, must be tiring you, why don't you stop," replied Allune and he looked at her a little suspiciously.**_

"_**Allune if you can see in the dark that's ok, but the thing is, I can't," he replied a little clueless.**_

"_**Just trust me," she replied and Axel shrugged letting the flame die out and for a moment engulfing the two in darkness.**_

"_**Good thing I don't have a problem with dark, cramped, wet spaces, with a Heartless as my only companion," he said before suddenly the tunnel was filled with a magical blue light, it was a bit bright for a moment but once he was used to it he could see a small diamond floating in Allune's hand, her flute was in the other.**_

"_**Wow, that's," said Axel amazed.**_

"_**Isn't it beautiful, your flames make them glow red, my flute makes them glow blue. Now my magic can let it lead the way," she told him and the diamond floated a little away from them.**_

"_**Well, isn't that something," smiled Axel as they started to move again with the little blue light leading the way. It wasn't long before Axel realised why Allune wanted him to stop using his flame, his now free hand was holding onto her other shoulder now and Allune hadn't even tried to stop him, it was like she wanted him to hold her. As he thought this that strange tingling sensation crept over his skin again and he stopped a little surprised. It was a tickling, nagging sensation that was accompanied by a great inner warmth and when he let go of her it stopped again.**_

"_**Axel, are you ok?" she asked interested.**_

"_**I'm, just cold, is this tunnel over yet?" he replied trying to put the sensation out of his mind. Allune nodded and looked a little beyond her light, they'd reached another chamber and come out at the mouth of a huge underground lake.**_

"_**Whoa, no way," said Axel coming out of the tunnel and seeing the chamber. The walls were high and it had a domed ceiling with ledges and walkways and a huge rock bridge over the lake just in front of a tall crashing waterfall obviously sourced further into the mountains.**_

"_**This is even better than the grotto," gasped Allune floating into the room and looking around.**_

"_**Well, I guess it could do without all the water but this is really cool," smiled Axel having a look around too. Axel checked the walls and found a few more diamonds sticking out but nothing more unusual than that whilst Allune seemed to amuse herself flying all over the room circling round and round the waterfall and gliding over the water. Axel watched her somewhat amused by her childishness, it was hard sometimes for him to remember she was a Heartless, she acted, well, like any normal human, or even a Nobody like him. Suddenly she floated over to him and held out her hand.**_

"_**Come on, come with me," she urged him and Axel shook his head.**_

"_**I'm supposed to be looking for Heartless remember, besides, I told you I'm not big on water," he replied but Allune grabbed his hand anyway and dragged him off into the air. She flew fast over the higher rocks and ledges and Axel could see there were other tunnel openings connected to some of them, he'd have to check them out some other time. Then Allune went towards the waterfall and Axel closed his eyes as she dashed past managing not to get them wet. He laughed then, this was almost as enjoyable as fighting Heartless and it was definitely more exciting then scouting the cave. Finally Allune got tired and stood down to rest on the top of the large stone bridge over the lake. Axel chuckled a little sitting on the edge of it as she sat with him curled up on her legs as ever.**_

"_**Well," she taunted him flicking her hair.**_

"_**Ok, that was definitely worth coming down here," he replied confidently.**_

"_**I'm so glad," she said quietly primping herself a little after flying around so much, "you know Axel, these past few days of being with you, I don't think I've ever had better days."**_

"_**Well I gotta admit, you do liven up the usual routine around the castle," he replied.**_

"_**Axel, do you think, maybe, you could leave the Organisation, and stay here, with me," she asked him a little difficultly and he looked at her seriously.**_

"_**Leave the Organisation?" he cried confused.**_

"_**I know it's a hard thing to ask, it's just, if you weren't with the Organisation I wouldn't have to hide. We could go wherever we wanted and just, exist together," she tried to explain. Axel sighed and shook his head seriously looking away a little.**_

"_**If I left the Organisation, then I might never get my heart. Besides no one's ever left the Organisation and knowing Saix and Xemnas they probably wouldn't like the idea," he replied.**_

"_**Is what they think really that important?" asked Allune a little snidely.**_

"_**I don't care what anyone thinks of me, I don't have a heart remember. But they're both pretty powerful and you don't want to get them mad, bad enough they want to kill you without me becoming a fugitive too," he replied coldly. Allune didn't answer for a few minutes, she didn't understand what was happening inside her, she was scared. She was getting used to having such a free spirit, to being this different from other Heartless, she was scared if Axel left her, she'd just go back to being like them again.**_

"_**I remembered something, last night after I left," she told him suddenly taking out her flute and playing a little, Axel was unnerved but he could see that the flute was effecting her this time, not anything else.**_

"_**What was it?" he asked.**_

"_**I saw a man, this memory, was so cold, it was like I was freezing, I haven't felt coldness for such a long time," she told him starting to sound a little dreamy, "Anyway, this man, he was looking at me and smiling, it was a little blurry, not very clear, I could just see his eyes, they were green, like yours, but his hair, it was black, I'm sure it was. Suddenly there was another in my eyesight. The reason I think I recognised that Nobody's blonde hair yesterday, there was a girl with the man I saw. She glared at me hatefully and moved her head like she was calling something. The coldness got worse, the man with black hair, he looked back to her and then he moved away from me, I couldn't move, it was like my body was frozen." Axel watched as she told the story, her eyes were glowing blue with the flute now and although she was using her mouth to talk the flute kept playing. Every now and then the emblem on her chest sparked and she looked like she was in pain.**_

"_**Leave her, I heard that girl talk, leave her, she said. The man with the black hair, he just looked back at me with this look of contempt in his eyes, not the soft one he'd had before. That voice, just like the Nobody's, catty and evil. That awful coldness became petrifying, and the world started to blur out, the man stood away from me and left me then, he left, and went away with her…" she groaned painfully. She shut her eyes suddenly then and wrenched the flute away from her body, Axel watched her pant still with her eyes closed, water dripping off her hair, he hadn't noticed but for some reason some of her hair had turned to icicles as she'd been talking.**_

"_**The darkness, the darkness," she rambled trying to compose herself again as Axel continued to look on growing evermore suspicious of the flute in her hand, he couldn't understand why, but something seemed terribly evil about that flute.**_

"_**That, was how you became a Heartless wasn't it. That man hurt you," he looked at her understanding.**_

"_**Why am I bothering you with this, he just left me for that blonde little!" she growled angrily, "no wonder I only attract men! So they can feel what he did to me!" Allune seemed enraged, he may not have known much about her but he knew this wasn't really her.**_

"_**Allune, can you hear me?" he asked warily standing up.**_

"_**Why are you looking at me like that? Get away from me!" she cried jumping back a little and looking like she was going to fight.**_

"_**Allune what's wrong with you?" he shouted readying to defend himself.**_

"_**Have you come to hurt me too? Do what you can but let's see you hurt anyone without a heart!" she yelled back and suddenly her curved blade appeared, she really was going to fight him. Axel wasn't sure what was happening but he had to defend himself and suddenly Allune burst forward at him with the blade. He locked up with her holding her back with his chakrams but this was different from having fought her before. She wasn't holding back and just kept coming after her again and again disappearing and reappearing making it seem like he was fighting more than one of her.**_

_**He hadn't wanted to hurt her but he eventually had to use his fire powers to defend himself and try and stop her assault, but instead she only flew through any barriers he made.**_

"_**This is useless, I can't hit her because of that stupid flute, but she's really mad for some reason. I'm just going to have to try and bring her to her senses, why did I give her that blade," he thought backing away a bit trying to get some distance between them. Allune stopped for a moment, she panted tiredly but still seemed too angry to just stop.**_

"_**Allune stop this, what's wrong with you?" called Axel warily.**_

"_**Your, heart…" she panted, her voice broke up a little as she breathed. Suddenly she sped forward and Axel was only just able to get out of the way in time, but instead of coming back Allune just kept going until she went right off the edge of the bridge and screamed crashing into the water below.**_

"_**Allune!" called Axel looking all over the lake from his position for any sign of her, she wasn't coming up, had she been destroyed when she hit the water? No, surely he would have seen her hearts flying away. Axel teleported down to the water's edge and continued his search for her.**_

"_**Come on, Allune where are you," he called out stopping at the edge closest to the raging waterfall. Suddenly he felt something grab his leg and the sound of coughing against the splashing water. He looked down and Allune lay slumped half sticking out of the water coughing painfully, she'd just managed to grab hold of him as she'd struggled to the bank.**_

"_**Allune, are you, I mean," wondered Axel kneeling down to her. Allune rolled over a little dozily and looked up to see Axel's face, she seemed back to normal now so Axel helped pull her out of the water and took her over to the underneath of the bridge before making a fire for her to dry by.**_

"_**Why, are you doing this," she asked finally speaking after a long while.**_

"_**Oh, right. You can't feel heat," replied Axel having finished the fire.**_

"_**No, I mean, why are you helping me, I just totally, ugh, it's all a blur," she replied huddling up as the water dripped out of her hair. Axel looked at her suspiciously, he'd been right, she hadn't meant to attack him, why then did she suddenly go nuts?**_

"_**Is it because you're a Heartless?" he asked her sitting with her.**_

"_**I don't know, I just, Axel I, I don't remember, it was so dark all of a sudden, then I just found myself in the water," she told him dully.**_

"_**You don't remember attacking me?" he asked and she looked up at him suddenly as if she were shocked.**_

"_**I," she gasped.**_

"_**It's all right, I know it wasn't you," he replied calming her a bit.**_

"_**How, I mean, I wish I knew why that happened, these black outs aren't new, and when they're over, things are never good," she confessed.**_

"_**Well for one thing you were after my heart, I think we've been over this," he smiled at her and she smiled a little relieved, "also, you didn't seem to know it was me you were attacking."**_

"_**If I could I'd go red right about now," she replied thankful she hadn't hurt him.**_

"_**The man with the dark hair, he was why you became a Heartless wasn't he?" asked Axel seriously and Allune nodded.**_

"_**I remember feeling my whole life slipping away as he walked away from me, then I blacked out and woke up that night as a Heartless, that must have been when the Darkness took me," she replied calmly.**_

"_**He must have really hurt you," Axel replied.**_

"_**I don't remember but considering the circumstances, yes he must. I guess it's the downside of a having a heart, there are so many good things, but people can hurt you so badly. Must be nice for a Nobody, without a heart nobody can hurt you," sighed Allune looking at Axel apologetically, Axel looked at her seriously and took hold of her hand saying,**_

"_**I'm not so sure." **_

_**The tingling came back as she looked up at him confused but Axel didn't let go this time, he had to know what that sensation meant and started leaning in towards her still staring at her seriously. Allune couldn't believe it as she felt his lips came to hers, he was kissing her this time, all on his own. She held onto him strongly not wanting him to ever let go and then she felt him try to stand. She stayed with him as he did and soon the two stood together in the flickering light of the fire, silent but saying more to each other now then even Axel could achieve with words.**_

_**Finally Axel let her go and the tingling went away, he knew what it was, a strange sensation only Allune could make go away, he didn't understand or know truly why or if it was even possible but somewhere in his mind, he knew he'd felt something like it before.**_

"_**I should go," he said quietly letting go of her completely and going to walk away.**_

"_**I know," replied Allune a little difficultly, before seeming to remember something and bidding him wait. Axel stopped and Allune came over to him holding something in her hands.**_

"_**Thank goodness it wasn't damaged by the fall," she sighed revealing the item she held. Axel looked at it amazed as he took it from her, it was a diamond, just like the others, only…**_

"_**It's shaped like…" he gasped amazed.**_

"_**A heart. I know, I found it in the grotto. See, I know what you said about the only way you can have a heart is from that Kingdom Hearts, but, I thought this way. I mean it's not a real heart but, you're still the only Nobody with one," she smiled at him kindly.**_

"_**It's wonderful Allune, it really is," smiled Axel looking at it closely, he laughed then, he couldn't believe what such a simple little thing seemed to mean to him and Allune laughed cheerfully too.**_

_**Axel said goodbye then and left into the darkness of the tunnels leaving Allune alone watching him disappear into the distance.**_

"_**Axel, you can't understand how much seeing you smile means to me. I don't understand this, I'm a Heartless, sure I technically have a heart, but I'm not supposed to be able to feel things like this, am I? I only wish Axel could understand, does he even know what love is? Maybe, maybe he does understand, I mean he kissed me, unafraid of my power, unafraid of me, no hesitation, Axel kissed me," she giggled to herself.**_

"_**So you're what all this fuss is about," she suddenly heard a voice from behind her. She turned and looked and Marluxia stood before glaring evilly and already brandishing his scythe. Allune stayed silent but looked at him warily, she wasn't sure if she could be seen.**_

"_**Why so quiet Heartless?" he taunted her.**_

"_**What do you want Nobody?" she replied strongly.**_

"_**Oh you know of us? Funny, I'd have thought Axel neglected to mention us, he seemed so busy just a few minutes ago," sneered Marluxia.**_

"_**You're that one I saw in the castle, Marluxia, the girly man," she replied arrogantly and Marluxia had a hard time trying to keep his cool.**_

"_**So you've been to our castle? I thought as much, you almost fooled us Heartless but our cameras saw you escape and now dear Axel has led me right to you," replied Marluxia ready to attack her**_

"_**Axel warned me those like you might try and hurt me but I'm no pushover and I seriously suggest you back down," replied Allune taking up her flute.**_

"_**You call that a weapon!" laughed Marluxia.**_

"_**Yes keep laughing, let's see how long you're laughing for!" replied Allune starting to play her flute, but suddenly before her spell could enact her hand was wrenched away from her mouth and bound at the wrist with a long vine, Marluxia had stopped her from playing, he knew about the spell.**_

"_**Let me go!" struggled Allune trying to get free.**_

"_**Is that how you beat Axel? A silly little instrument? He really is useless isn't he," taunted Marluxia. Allune looked at him angrily before enacting her diamond blade in the other hand and cutting herself free.**_

"_**You underestimate me Nobody," she sneered arrogantly dashing forward to attack him directly, however just as she reached him she suddenly became tangled in more vines that this time covered her entire body and worse seemed to be tightening. She dropped the blade then and cried out painfully.**_

"_**No, I don't think so, Axel is a little hot headed and very direct, perfect for your trap my pretty little Heartless, I on the other hand, well I don't like getting my hands dirty too often. You're just lucky Saix doesn't want you destroyed immediately, but don't worry, we'll let you say goodbye to Axel before you die," laughed Marluxia evilly opening a dark corridor behind him. The vines got tighter and tighter and Allune couldn't focus enough to use her escape powers.**_

"_**Axel!" she cried out painfully as Marluxia dragged her into the dark corridor.**_

_**Somewhere down the tunnels Axel suddenly heard her painful cry, he looked back a little unnerved but she wasn't there, not in this tunnel anyway. Knowing he really should be getting back Axel ran quickly back the way he'd come until he returned to the underground lake.**_

"_**Allune, Allune are you there?" he called out looking around trying to find her until his foot kicked at something which skidded across the floor. Axel looked down and saw her diamond blade, he picked it up and it was covered with little chips of bark and leaves left from Marluxia's vines.**_

"_**No," he gasped looking around hastily but he knew he was too late, "No!" Axel's chakrams appeared immediately and spurts of flames burst all over the room. He hurried back to the plateau and returned to the castle intent on finding Marluxia, and Allune.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Special Heartless**_

_**In the castle Saix had a room in which he'd already set up a holding cell for whatever it was Marluxia brought back, unsure of it's powers the only thing he knew would keep it from escaping the bars was the extremely strong electromagnetic current running through it. Suddenly Marluxia's corridor opened within the room and he stepped out with the captive Allune still bound in vines.**_

"_**This is a Heartless?" said Saix suspicious of her looks, after all Allune didn't really look much like a Heartless. Marluxia smiled evilly before manoeuvring his vines to place Allune inside the cage Saix had prepared before closing it trapping her.**_

"_**Let me go!" snapped Allune going to touch the bars but getting shocked by the current and stepping back a bit.**_

"_**It can talk?" asked Saix.**_

"_**Yes, and think, and remember apparently. Oh here, I took the liberty of removing this from it," replied Marluxia revealing he'd somehow managed to get hold of Allune's flute.**_

"_**My flute!" she cried realising. Allune tried calling it back to her but as soon as it got to the edge of the cage it dropped to the floor unable to pass the bars.**_

"_**No…" she gasped unsure what to do without it. Saix went up to the cage and picked up the flute himself. He looked at it curiously and then at Allune who just glared at him hatefully.**_

"_**Were you seen?" asked Saix.**_

"_**No, I dropped in on it just after Axel left, he was kissing it, can you believe that? Poor fool, it's probably got him thinking he can feel, what an embarrassment," laughed Marluxia evilly.**_

"_**He has more heart than any of you!" snapped Allune.**_

"_**Impossible, we Nobody's don't have hearts, just as you Heartless only exist to steal hearts from humans, no matter how different you seem, that is all you are," glared Saix.**_

"_**If that's so then why would you want one? If you're so contented being a Nobody why look for Kingdom Hearts, why try to get hearts?" replied Allune.**_

"_**You're just a mindless Heartless, you could never possibly understand our plan," sneered Marluxia.**_

"_**I know you can't do it because you can't collect hearts, maybe you should try being Heartless, then you could do it," she replied arrogantly.**_

"_**I see, so that's what Axel's been up to," said Saix a slight glimmer in his eye.**_

"_**Come now Saix you don't actually think Axel would have come up with a plan for this creature do you? He's just been trying to cover up his abject failures," replied Marluxia defiantly.**_

"_**You're not going to hurt him are you?" worried Allune.**_

"_**I'll say, that guy's a useless hunk of nothing, hey Saix let's make him a dusk, what do you say," sneered Marluxia.**_

"_**A… dusk?" stammered Allune.**_

"_**A lowly class of Nobody similar to your shadows, they're made from people whose hearts weren't quite strong enough to create those like us. Still, whatever created you must have had a very powerful heart indeed, I wonder what their Nobody is like?" pondered Saix.**_

"_**Don't hurt him please, Axel was only trying to collect hearts," replied Allune and Saix looked back at her interested.**_

"_**Go on Heartless," nodded Saix interested.**_

_**Meanwhile in the mission room Axel had made it back to the castle and was still looking for Marluxia.**_

"_**Marluxia! Saix!" he yelled arriving back looking around knowing he didn't have much time.**_

"_**Axel, what's wrong man?" wondered Demyx seeing him.**_

"_**Demyx have you seen Marluxia?" asked Axel hastily.**_

"_**No, not all day. Saix said he was on a really important stealth mission," replied Demyx but Axel didn't have time to listen to him and stormed off continuing to look for them.**_

"_**He was there the whole time, he saw everything, even…" Axel's thoughts trailed off and he stopped a moment, searching his coat he found the heart shaped diamond Allune had found for him. He looked at it taking a deep breath to try and think clearer, he couldn't just go barging through the castle and then suddenly destroy Marluxia on the spot, no matter how much he wanted to right now.**_

"_**Is this what it means to have a heart?" he thought to himself putting the little treasure away and walking a little calmer through the castle. Eventually he came to Saix's control room, he warily entered not sure what he was going to find but he immediately saw Allune kneeling in the cage in the corner.**_

"_**Allune," he realised seeing her and coming over.**_

"_**Axel no!" she cried out seeing him but it was too late the door shut and locked fast and standing before it was Marluxia barring his way out.**_

"_**What's the meaning of this Marluxia!" snapped Axel but then Saix appeared from close to the cage, "Saix?"**_

"_**I authorised this collection Axel, there's no need for you to be involved," glared Saix and Axel glared back not backing down.**_

"_**What do you want with her?" asked Axel tensely.**_

"_**Her? Axel it's a Heartless, not a person, not one of us," chuckled Marluxia.**_

"_**She's more than just a Heartless," replied Axel.**_

"_**Yes indeed, I know that much already. I also know about the spell connected with this intricate flute," sneered Saix revealing he had her flute.**_

"_**The flute," realised Axel looking back to Allune who seemed utterly powerless without it, she wasn't even floating. Axel glared at Marluxia and Saix as he moved closer to the cage to make sure she was ok, he tried to reach for the lock but the current just shocked him too.**_

"_**Watch your hands Axel, I must thank Larxene," chuckled Marluxia evilly.**_

"_**What do you want with her Saix, let her go, she can't do anything without that flute," replied Axel angrily.**_

"_**How disgusting, it's almost like you're protecting that thing," scoffed Marluxia.**_

"_**Axel in case it hasn't told you you're under a spell, it's why you've been acting so peculiar lately. Whatever thoughts you may have had about being close to that creature are ones it put there itself. It's just a Heartless and it's been using you that's all, by defending it you are only showing just how controlled you are. Still, that will all end soon enough," replied Saix unemotionally placing the flute on a table near the wall. Axel looked back to Allune for a moment, he knew it wasn't the spell, he was protecting her because he wanted to, not that he understood why he wanted to.**_

"_**Don't hurt him please!" Allune cried out, "I've told you what you wanted to know, please. If you let me go I'll disappear forever and never come back, just don't hurt him."**_

"_**Allune," said Axel amazed.**_

"_**Pitiful creature, look how it pretends to have feelings, it's a tricky one hey Saix?" glared Marluxia and Axel just glared at him harder.**_

"_**What did she tell you?" asked Axel seriously.**_

"_**Spellbound or not you have come up with quite an interesting hypothesis Axel, use the Heartless to collect hearts and then slice them up once they're ready to feed them to Kingdom Hearts, still you haven't quite gotten over how to send them to Kingdom Hearts yet. No matter, I'm more a machine and computer guy than you anyway," sneered Saix flipping a toggle switch on a console close by, the sound of electricity buzzed in the room and then suddenly Allune began screaming as a bright light flashed from her cage.**_

"_**Allune! Stop it Saix, stop it now!" cried Axel realising she was in pain. Saix flipped the switch again and Allune sat huddled in the cage panting in pain.**_

"_**What did you do?" he asked checking her.**_

"_**Merely testing this new piece of equipment I've been working on, it's a Heart Extractor," replied Saix smiling proudly bringing Axel's attention to the machinery all over the wall by the cage.**_

"_**You'll kill her," he told Saix seriously.**_

"_**Maybe, maybe not, after all Axel if it is so special surely it will survive such a strong current of electricity and the extraction of the hearts it's collected over it's lifetime? We could then use it as out foremost heart collector, a good replacement for, say you?" sneered Marluxia.**_

"_**To be honest it's you or it, and even then, if it dies we can simply search out for it's Nobody, if the heart that created this creature was this strong then surely one of us must be out there somewhere," glared Saix.**_

"_**You intend to get rid of me," scoffed Axel cockily.**_

"_**You're an embarrassment Axel, allowing yourself to fall victim to this Heartless' power is bad enough, but then hiding it and trying to work with it, Axel it's clear you've hit rock bottom," replied Saix.**_

"_**You think I'm useless, that I'm a disgrace to the Organisation. That I'm standing here right now because I'm under some stupid spell cast by a stupid Heartless? Well allow me to prove you wrong," replied Axel seriously, he looked back for one moment and saw Allune was recovering and trying to stand again before moving away from the cage and over to the console with Saix.**_

"_**May I?" he sneered and Saix looked at him suspiciously before Axel himself threw the switch.**_

"_**Axel! What are you…" screamed Allune getting zapped by the extractor again, then he turned it off and this time Allune was weaker but the current in the bars had shorted out so she was able to hang onto the bars trying to stay alive.**_

"_**How do you know if it's working?" asked Axel suddenly and Saix pointed to a small screen over the cage on the wall, it had numbers on it.**_

"_**Those are the hearts extracted so far, you think that's all of them?" asked Saix.**_

"_**Not by a long shot," sneered Axel throwing the switch again. Allune's screams pierced his outwardly cold shell hard but if his plan was going to work he had to hope she was strong enough to survive a little longer.**_

"_**I just thought," he said stopping again, "I can make it so she's guaranteed to survive." Axel picked up the flute and Saix looked at him suspiciously.**_

"_**You're not going to do what I think you are, are you?" asked Saix.**_

"_**This flute is the key to her power, if she has it, she can't die, keep shocking her like this and she'll fry," he replied.**_

"_**If that's the key to its power then if you give it back it'll attack, just finish it off Axel, unless you're just bluffing?" glared Marluxia.**_

"_**What do you think Saix? Something odd here? You've seen for yourself she's worthless right now, so powerless a shadow would be a harder fight. Have you ever heard of a Heartless whose very existence seemed to revolve so much around a little flute," tempted Axel knowing Saix could never resist a challenge.**_

"_**They all have weaknesses Axel," snapped Marluxia but Saix stopped him.**_

"_**You're right, that is interesting," nodded Saix.**_

"_**I've seen her use this thing loads of times, she can do anything with it, even call her own Heartless to fight, if anything, this is the real threat," replied Axel.**_

"_**I think I see where you're going with this, there's probably more hearts in that flute then it's body," smiled Saix evilly. He went back over to the cage and opened it carefully.**_

"_**Saix don't let that thing out!" cried Marluxia. Saix looked down at the pitiful creature that lay slumped on the ground and lifted her easily before throwing her to the side of the room like a ragdoll.**_

"_**Give me the flute Axel," glared Saix and Axel glared back keeping an ever watchful eye on Marluxia in case he tried to hurt Allune. The stand off was tense but then Axel finally saw Allune try to move and he threw Saix the flute before dashing to her side to help her. **_

"_**Allune, are you ok?" he asked sitting her up.**_

"_**Axel, what have you done, my flute…" she stammered before they heard the machine fire up again. Saix laughed evilly seeing the numbers tick round at high speed, there were more hearts in the flute.**_

"_**I knew it…" Allune heard Axel say before suddenly there was a terrible shattering sound.**_

"_**No!" shrieked Allune realising her beloved flute had exploded with all the energy of the machine. Axel looked back at her and suddenly Allune's body was lined with a silver blue light, then Axel's too.**_

"_**Axel what's happening?" worried Allune fearing the worst. The light covered them both in what looked like a shell before suddenly cracking in several places and shattering away. Axel smiled at her and helped her stand with him, he then encased them in a ring of fire, Marluxia and Saix looked on amazed what on earth was he doing.**_

"_**Axel, I'm so, warm…" gasped Allune confused.**_

"_**You're free, free of that Heartless forever," he told her, "and me too." Allune looked at him confused but then she started to feel stronger again, as if she was healing and a great weight had been lifted from her and she understood.**_

"_**Axel…" she said sounding a little choked up. Axel smiled at her glad she was ok before bringing her closer to kiss her, the flames died down and Marluxia and Saix were left even more shocked.**_

"_**Saix, it can't be, it isn't possible, is it?" said Marluxia amazed, he thought that, maybe Axel had been the first to do it, if the flute was broken, why still feel the need to kiss the Heartless. Unless, Axel had acquired a heart.**_

"_**No it isn't," replied Saix going to explain but then he heard something worse than a small shatter. There were sparks and crashes, the machine was overloading, it couldn't take the energy.**_

"_**No my machine!" he cried trying to turn it off.**_

"_**Axel, we have to get out of here," said Allune sensing the danger and coming away from him a little.**_

"_**Oh no you don't, I won't believe you got a heart before me! You're through Axel!" yelled Marluxia angrily.**_

"_**Forget it Marluxia, this room's going to blow!" replied Saix retreating. The machine started blasting circuit boards and debris all over the room but Marluxia didn't care, he wasn't going to let Axel get away with this.**_

"_**Come on Allune let's go," he heard Axel say as the two tried to escape the room together.**_

"_**Die Axel!" cried Marluxia rushing forward with his scythe. In the confusion of the machine Axel didn't see Marluxia coming, but Allune did.**_

"_**Axel!" she cried pushing him out of the way and taking the full brunt of Marluxia's scythe attack right across her chest, she flopped to the floor motionless and Axel finally realised what had happened.**_

"_**Allune!" he cried seeing her and seeing Marluxia looking at them evilly.**_

"_**Marluxia!" he yelled angrily but Marluxia merely turned and left the room satisfied with his work.**_

"_**If you truly have a heart Axel, let's see how it deals with losing the creature you care for so badly," he sneered to himself as he escaped.**_

"_**Allune, Allune please get up," he pleaded with her on the ground as the machine continued to melt down. He moved her onto his legs and he could see her injury, Marluxia had sliced right across her emblem, he'd gotten rid of the flute but she was still a Heartless, and their emblems were one of their weakest spots. Finally she opened her eyes and painfully breathed shallowly.**_

"_**Axel, are you ok?" she rasped.**_

"_**Why did you do that, why did you save me?" he asked her unable to understand her sacrifice, "I'd freed you, why did you throw it all away."**_

"_**I couldn't, let him kill you, it's my fault, it would have been better if we'd never met," she replied but Axel shook his head.**_

"_**Don't say that, not now not after everything," he replied fearing she'd die in his arms when suddenly the machine exploded behind them. Axel used his flames to shield them from the impact but there seemed to be little he could do this time to save Allune. Then as the dust settled the room began to shine and out of the machine it seemed to be raining hearts.**_

"_**So many hearts," said Axel looking around at them all.**_

"_**I never knew, I had so many," struggled Allune.**_

"_**Allune quickly, catch some, suck a few in, maybe they'll heal you, please don't give up now," he urged her, "quick before they get away." Allune tried to move her arms but she was utterly paralysed by the shock to her body from the injury, she couldn't get to them.**_

"_**I can't touch them, they'll disappear," worried Axel. Then suddenly one heart seemed to float over of it's own accord and hang just a few feet above Allune's body. It was like the others but it seemed brighter and it shined with a magical blue light.**_

"_**That one, you can touch that one," said Allune seeing it.**_

"_**How can you be so sure?" asked Axel.**_

"_**Because, it's mine…" she struggled and Axel nodded warily going to touch the fragile looking heart. It didn't disappear in fact the glow grew stronger as he brought it closer to Allune, in a few moments it vanished inside her body and her injury healed as her emblem disappeared.**_

"_**What happened?" said Axel seeing her change but get no better.**_

"_**You said you freed me, you were right…" said Allune and suddenly her body glowed and changed. Her hair stayed the same but her clothes became a violet boob tube like top and her legs became covered in a delicate violet skirt, silk and thin netting and other free flowing materials, her skin gained some form of natural colouring again and as Axel looked at her face he saw something he'd never known before.**_

"_**Allune, your eyes, they're, dripping?" he asked confused.**_

"_**I'm crying Axel, I can cry again, this must mean. Oh Axel…" she started making strange noises between her painful rasps, she was sobbing.**_

"_**Your heart, it's healed isn't it, you, got your heart back, that means," realised Axel seeming to go a little cold.**_

"_**Axel, I love you," gasped Allune quietening at last and as her body stopped glowing so too did she stop moving and the room began to return to normal as well. The hearts disappeared leaving only dust hanging in the air and as he looked around the silent room the oppressive grey of the walls started to make the room seem a terrible, bleak and lonely place to be. No matter how he tried Allune would not move again, even as he kissed her lips nothing, not even the tingling on his skin came back to him.**_

_**Then the door opened and Saix came back in, he looked very disappointed in the failure of his machine and seemed to be more interested in checking the damage then even acknowledging Axel and Allune. Finally he did come over and knelt down to inspect her for himself.**_

"_**The machine, exploded, hearts rained down from the ceiling, she, got her heart back, but then, she's gone," explained Axel difficultly, Saix looked at him softer than normal and shook his head.**_

"_**Hold your ear to her chest," said Saix and Axel looked at him a little bemused before doing as he'd said. He didn't know what he was doing but then he heard a faint drumming, it was slow but constant as it rapped away inside her.**_

"_**What is that sound?" asked Axel looking at Saix again.**_

"_**Her heart of course, she's alive Axel," he told her and Axel smiled relieved as Saix stood away.**_

"_**She never was a Heartless was she?" asked Saix.**_

"_**Just being used by one, that insidious flute, she probably became a real Heartless at some point, but she wasn't one long," replied Axel not really engaged in the conversation.**_

"_**Then she is back to normal now?" continued Saix.**_

"_**I suppose," said Axel looking up to him before standing up with Allune draped in his arms.**_

"_**Then you know what you have to do," said Saix coldly and Axel looked away reluctant.**_

"_**Axel, no matter what you've been through with that girl you are still a Nobody, Marluxia is a fool you don't have a heart, none of us do. Accept that again and you'll be able to cut her out of you permanently," explained Saix leaving the room. Axel looked back at Allune's face and he could remember all of the happiness and excitement she'd brought him in such a short time, he couldn't forget, no matter what Saix said he promised himself he wouldn't forget the lessons of this, the sensations and thoughts, of course he couldn't call them feelings. A dark corridor opened behind him and he disappeared into it with Allune.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

_**To Truly Have A Heart**_

_**It was night in Twilight Town, Allune had said she'd woken up here, so Axel guessed it was where she was from. He walked into the square with her and found the alleyway he'd first met her in.**_

"_**You'll be safe now," he said as he set her down on the pavement. He stood for a moment not quite sure how to leave, when she woke up would she remember him, would she remember this place, would she be afraid without him? He wondered if he should stay until she awoke so he could explain but suddenly he heard people coming and had to hide. A man dressed in a white shirt and dark trousers with black hair came round the corner with a lantern, Axel noticed his clothes looked similar in style to Allune's new ones. The man ventured further and saw the body that lay slumped on the floor, he rushed over worried.**_

"_**Oh my, Miss, are you ok?" he asked as he came over wary of whatever seemed to have attacked her. The man placed the lantern on the floor and turned the body over, Axel saw him jerk back in surprise as he did before exclaiming,**_

"_**Luna!" **_

"_**Luna?" wondered Axel watching from his hiding place.**_

_**The man looked back out the street and seemed to be acting very peculiar, bobbing his head back and forth between Allune and the entrance.**_

"_**Tima! Tima get over here, it's Luna!" cried the man and then Axel saw a woman enter the alley, she had blonde hair and was also wearing the similar style of clothes.**_

"_**Atlus what are you talking about, Luna is…" she said coming in but stopping amazed seeing the woman laying at the man's legs.**_

"_**Dead, I know, I know we thought she was dead, she's been missing for so long. Oh Luna, how have you come back to us, what angel has delivered you home," praised Atlus overjoyed.**_

"_**Blonde hair, black hair, those can't be?" worried Axel thinking he'd delivered Allune back into the arms of those who hurt her so badly. Then as Tima came over to kneel by Allune's side also, Allune started to wake up, she couldn't believe the faces she saw looking down on her.**_

"_**Tima, Atlus… how am I, where am I?" she asked dryly as if she were coming out of a long dream.**_

"_**Luna, it is you, you're alive!" smiled Atlus hugging her tightly.**_

"_**Luna, that's not my…" stammered Allune seeming to be looking around, in one of the corners of the alley she thought she could see a shadowy figure watching them.**_

"_**Axel!" she called out suddenly trying to move but she was still too weak to break away cleanly. Axel turned away hearing her call, he had to do this but he still couldn't leave, he had to know she was safe.**_

"_**Axel? Is he the angel, did he bring you home?" asked Atlus and Allune looked at him confused.**_

"_**Poor thing must be delusional, missing for so long, what happened to you dear?" asked Tima and Allune looked at her recognising her voice a little distressed.**_

"_**This isn't right, where am I, I'm supposed to be with Axel, he wouldn't leave me, what am I doing here, this isn't right!" she cried out trying to crawl away noticing the change in her clothes and then seeing her injury and emblem was gone.**_

"_**I'm, I'm not a Heartless anymore…" she stammered realising.**_

"_**A Heartless?" asked Atlus.**_

"_**You must have been through quite a lot, must have banged her head or something, no telling how long she's been wandering around like this, we should get her home," said Tima.**_

"_**No! I'm not going anywhere with you!" she cried scrambling to her feet and trying to run towards the shadows she could see in the corner, she didn't get far. Unaccustomed to walking and still weak from her ordeal it wasn't long before Allune lost her balance and toppled to the floor painfully, but she was a little closer and could see the shadow of Axel's hair.**_

"_**Axel! Axel, come back Axel please! Don't leave me with them, I want to be with you!" he cried out painfully. She saw his hair move and his face came slightly out from behind the crate. He looked at her sadly and shook his head, Allune saw him but wasn't about to give up, even when she knew it was hopeless.**_

"_**Luna I'm sorry," said Atlus and both Axel and Allune looked up at him amazed, "I know it's my fault you ran off. I should have found a better way to tell you, instead of just marrying Tima and going off our honeymoon like that." Axel finally understood why Allune had been preyed upon by the Heartless Flute, it had sensed her pain caused from this news and had possessed her on the spot. No wonder she couldn't remember how she became a Heartless very clearly, she never saw the flute coming and with it controlling her it never would have let her see the truth.**_

"_**Go away, I don't need you," she shouted still trying to get up.**_

"_**Luna please, you're my best friend, I was heartbroken when I returned to find you'd disappeared. Tima and I have searched high and low for you, asked everyone we met, no one knew anything. I'm so sorry Luna, I'd never want to hurt you in a million years, I was, just so caught up in the wedding. This angel, Axel, must have taken you to punish me, now he's brought you back so I can tell you how sorry I am," said Atlus.**_

"_**How sorry we are. I guess even though we're a double act I never really treated you as much of a partner," said Tima humbly. Atlus put his arm around Allune's shoulders then and helped her stand finally.**_

"_**I've really been gone a long time?" she asked difficultly.**_

"_**More than a year, maybe two, it's been so long I lost count. Come now, let's get you home, you look like you need to rest," said Atlus and Allune nodded. Atlus helped her walk away but she kept looking back towards the crates in the corner until she saw Axel's shadow disappear. Her tears came back again then, she didn't understand why she'd been left here.**_

_**The next day Allune was better and was able to walk around again, she got dressed by herself and managed to walk outside the little gypsy like cart which made the home for the three of them.**_

"_**Luna you're ok," smiled Atlus hugging her.**_

"_**You made it through the night," nodded Tima.**_

"_**My head's still a bit fuzzy, what do we actually do?" she asked confused.**_

"_**Don't tell me you forgot all our dance moves?" worried Tima.**_

"_**Tima come on she's only been back a day," sighed Atlus.**_

"_**Dance moves? I'm a dancer, just, a dancer?" replied Allune disappointed.**_

"_**Well you tried fortune telling for a while, but you weren't very good," replied Tima before getting nudged by Atlus.**_

"_**Yeah, we're a travelling dance troupe, only I don't go in for much of the dancing, I'm a musician, you must remember?" said Atlus holding up the instrument he was holding, it was a small wooden flute.**_

"_**A, flute," she said a little quizzically taking it from him and blowing into the end like she would do with her own. The music was amazing Tima and Atlus couldn't believe it.**_

"_**Since when could you play?" asked Tima and Allune stopped.**_

"_**I don't remember, I just, can," she replied covering her time as a Heartless.**_

"_**Well the morning rush will be on soon, we're going to Station Plaza, don't push yourself ok Luna, I don't want to lose you again," said Atlus and Allune nodded and watched them go.**_

"_**Nothing, I can't float or call Heartless, I guess I really am human again," she sighed sadly sitting on a barrel out front of the cart.**_

"_**So, I'm an Angel now huh?" she heard a voice from beside her and happily leaning against the cart Axel had appeared she lept up and hugged him immediately.**_

"_**Axel! I knew you wouldn't abandon me, I knew you'd come back," she said hugging him.**_

"_**Well last night didn't go exactly as I planned," he replied as she let him go. He looked her up and down knowing it would be his last time, he wanted just a few more memories.**_

"_**So, this is the real Allune," he said seeming to approve.**_

"_**Yeah I guess, I'm a gypsy dancer, apparently I used to do fortunes but I wasn't very good," she replied sadly.**_

"_**I don't believe that for one minute," smiled Axel.**_

"_**Still, I don't care what I am, you're still here and now I have my heart I can finally tell you how I feel about you, Axel I…" she went to say but she saw Axel looking away a little down before moving away from the cart and going into the street in front of her a bit more.**_

"_**Allune, take one good look, cause it's your last," he said finally and Allune couldn't believe it.**_

"_**Axel, you're joking, you must be. It can't be the last time I see you, I can't live without you!" cried Allune running over to him.**_

"_**Don't you think it's that kind of thinking that got you into this mess in the first place?" asked Axel.**_

"_**Atlus was different, he was my best friend, since we were kids, he never loved me," replied Allune.**_

"_**And neither can I," replied Axel seriously.**_

"_**Why?" she replied sadly.**_

"_**I don't have a…" he tried to say but Allune interrupted.**_

"_**I know! I know! You don't have a heart! Axel after everything we've been through you still think you need one? You saved me Axel, you stopped me being a Heartless my whole life, you kissed me! Axel, you might not be able to comprehend it, but that is love," she tried to make him understand. Axel went to run his hand through his hair not sure how to explain the situation when Allune reached up herself and did it.**_

"_**Feel that? Axel I know you liked it when I did this to you," she told him and he managed to gently push her off.**_

"_**Believe me, this is better than what I was supposed to do to you," he confessed difficultly.**_

"_**What, do you mean?" she worried.**_

"_**You're a human again Allune, and humans aren't supposed to know the Organisation exists, Saix wanted me to erase your memory, but I couldn't do it. I can't forget you so why should I make you forget about me, I'm void of feeling, but I'm not that cruel," he explained and Allune nodded understanding, "Allune, leaving you with them, knowing they're the ones that hurt you, is hard you know, I wish I could see you everyday, but I'm a Nobody, and you're a human, I'm not even supposed to be able to get on with Heartless remember." Axel laughed trying to cheer her up but she only seemed sadder.**_

"_**Axel, take me away," she said quietly.**_

"_**Away? Don't you like it here?" he asked clueless.**_

"_**Take me back to the castle, turn me into a Nobody, please, turn me back into a Heartless I don't care, I can't go back to living as a human, not now," she told him, "please Axel, I don't care if I don't have a heart, I'll still be with you, that's all I want, please let me stay by your side." Axel looked at her seriously and shook his head again, even if he knew how to do it he didn't feel inflicting a life as a Nobody on her would solve anything.**_

"_**Allune you got your heart back, that's the most precious thing anyone should ever want, please understand, it just can't be this way," he told her calmly stroking her hair.**_

"_**Axel I'm so afraid, I don't want to ever forget you, I don't feel I could love anyone else," she told him.**_

"_**No problem," smiled Axel and suddenly her diamond blade appeared in his hand, "You dropped it fighting Marluxia, now you can never forget, and as for loving anyone else, well, you know hearts are supposed to have an infinite capacity to love, much as you might want to use it all up on me wait for someone who isn't just a shadow huh?"**_

_**Allune took her blade gratefully and giggled a little at his words before thinking something herself.**_

"_**Axel, when you get your heart, then, you'll be able to love won't you?" she asked him.**_

"_**I suppose I will," replied Axel not sure what she meant.**_

"_**Then, when you have a heart, you can come back to me. Axel no matter how long it takes for you to find your heart I'll be right here waiting for you," Allune told him flicking her hair confidently, Axel smiled a little and nodded agreeing. Allune hugged him again then and Axel held onto her strongly, he knew he had to, but it was so hard to leave.**_

"_**If I don't go someone might see me," he told her finally.**_

"_**I know, thank you Axel, thank you for everything," she replied coming away a little. He looked down at her one last time and then finally he just couldn't stop himself kissing her, Allune felt herself crying as he did, their final kiss, their final moment, she had to say it. Axel let her go finally but before he could leave Allune looked at him deeply and placed her hand where his heart would have been if he'd had one.**_

"_**Axel, I love you," she told him and Axel smiled back silently nodding before helping her come away from him and disappearing into a dark corridor, looking back one last time.**_

"_**I love you, I love you, Axel I love you," she thought to herself caressing the smooth crystal of the blade he'd made for her. Allune could see her reflection in the blade and wiped away her tears strongly before leaving for Station Plaza, she had a new life, it was time to make the most of it and not hang on to any past regrets. **_

_**Axel reappeared in the mission room definitely not his usual confident self, he sighed as he watched the dark corridor disappear knowing he'll never see her again.**_

"_**You just can't give it up can you man," said Demyx coming up to him.**_

"_**Give what up?" he asked startled.**_

"_**Come on, Marluxia made a big deal about killing that Heartless girl, said you weren't a Nobody anymore cause you had a heart. I know the whole story dude," nodded Demyx.**_

"_**Well Marluxia can get off his high horse because she isn't dead, she's just, human," replied Axel sternly.**_

"_**I know, Saix told us after Marluxia finished boasting. Said you would take her back where she came from, how did it go, are you coping ok?" he asked.**_

"_**You know you don't have a heart either Demyx, why do you care," replied Axel coldly.**_

"_**Cause you look like you could use someone who does, besides Marluxia's such an overbearing pain in the neck, hate to actually think he was right about you being useless. Marluxia knows you could take him if he ever fought fair," replied Demyx. Axel smiled a little, and then Demyx handed him a small cold bar in a plastic wrapping.**_

"_**Also I find these make a nice pick me up when you're thinking too much, go ahead have it, I swiped a whole box for the group. Sea salt ice cream, some human thing, it tastes weird but it's nice," said Demyx opening one himself.**_

"_**When do you ever think too much," chuckled Axel.**_

"_**See that's our Axel," smiled Demyx leaving him.**_

_**One evening some time later Axel sat on top of the railing at the station clock tower watching the sun set on the people below him. He could see a gypsy cart and a small crowd huddled around a group of three gypsies, one was playing beautiful music on a flute while the two others were dancing, one of which accompanied her act by dancing and performing tricks with a beautiful crystal knife. It was Allune, she'd settled in now and was using her diamond blade to incorporate her old life with her new. She came to the end of her dance and the crowd seemed overjoyed.**_

"_**Don't know where she went, but she got better," smiled Atlus watching her with his flute with Tima beside him.**_

"_**Yeah, maybe I'll disappear for a while," she joked. Allune looked over the crowds bowing gracefully with her blade as the people threw coins for them, then she looked up towards the clock tower where a familiar shadow seemed to be hanging. Axel was watching her, it hadn't been too long since they'd parted but whenever he could he just had to watch her dance.**_

"_**Hey Axel, you're here early," he heard a voice say from beside him, he turned his head and smiled seeing Roxas had appeared at last.**_

"_**Hi ya Roxas, grab a perch," replied Axel looking back down to Allune. Roxas leant over and saw the people on the ground.**_

"_**What you looking at?" he asked, Axel looked up for a moment before replying,**_

"_**I like to look at girls." Roxas looked a little harder and he could see Allune looking up towards them, she then seemed to wave subtly in their direction. Roxas looked to Axel and it looked like he was waving back.**_

"_**Wow she's really pretty, Axel is she, waving to us?" he asked and Axel looked back to Roxas.**_

"_**Don't be silly, like I'd actually allow myself to get seen around here," he joked running his hand through his hair. Axel stood up then reaching into his coat for a moment, in the top Axel had sewn a new pouch over the spot Allune had last touched on his body. In the pouch was the diamond heart, he still had it with him so he could not forget, though the sharp end of it looked a little worn now. He looked back down to Allune for a moment and tried to form the words with his mouth.**_

"_**I…love…you…" he tried to move his mouth to say but even though he'd been practising without a heart this was a difficult phrase to say truthfully.**_

"_**Axel, you ok, you look a little spaced out," asked Roxas and Axel put the diamond back in the secret pouch before giving his full attention to Roxas.**_

"_**Coming from," he joked, revealing he had some sea salt ice cream on him.**_

"_**You got it already," smiled Roxas sitting down with his, Axel joined him looking up to the sky thoughtfully.**_

"_**This is the life eh Roxas? Who needs a heart when you have sea salt ice cream," he said and Roxas chuckled a little with Axel chuckling back. **_

_**Maybe for now it was as if Axel and Allune had moved on with their lives but in a small mountainous valley where it snowed all the time lay a cave with a huge underground lake and rushing waterfall and in another chamber a shimmering crystal grotto. The grotto was filled with all sizes of diamonds and gems and there by the back wall of the chamber on the largest crystal lay the words,**_

"_**Allune and Axel." Carved in using another of the sharp edged gems with a heart shape encompassing the two, the love that could never have existed immortalised for eternity, the truest of true loves.**_


End file.
